Swarthmore  

Sundial: 35
State/Province:  Pennsylvania Country:  USA
Dial Type:  Vertical Dial Condition:  Excellent
  Latitude and Longitude: 39° 54.330' N  75° 21.282' W
Location:
  • Swarthmore College
    off College Avenue
    on the west wing of Kohlberg Hall, south side
 
Description:
  • Modern design for a vertical dial declining 20.5 deg east on a stone block wall. The gnomon is a right-angled sheet of bronze, casting shadows onto granite hour marks from 6am to 4pm. The dial was designed by Marti Cowan using Waugh's formulae for vertical dials. Frederick Orthlieb, professor and chair of the Dept of Engineering at Swarthmore "had a part in locating the bent-plate gnomon so as to give correct indications on the vertical wall. As installed, the gnomon's indicating edge (which lies on a Polar Axis) casts quite a short shadow in Autumn and Winter and requires some observing skill to make a close estimate of indicated time, but in Spring and Summer the longer shadow moves over the granite hour marks very plainly." A double-line mark at 11am indicates noon during Daylight Saving Time. The second mark is slightly askew if one looks carefully.
 
General Information:
  • Owner: Swarthmore College
  • Designer: Marti Cowan of Margaret Helfand Architects in NYC
  • Builder: Frederick Orthlieb
  • Construction Date: 1995
 

Last Revised: 2021-08-05 19:26