The story of how the dining room and library of the Metcalfe House came to be re-created in Rockwell Hall merits repeating. The college, not in the business of historic preservation, had very little time to decide if it was possible to accept the dismantled rooms. President Bruce Johnstone, persuaded by Fine Arts Chair Dr. Frank Kowsky, approved the project. Boxes and boxes of tiny parts were delivered to the college after being removed from the Metcalfe house in early 1980. Johnstone tasked Dr. Judith Wolfe, Director of Arts Development, with raising the funds that would be needed to re-create the rooms as they were when the Metcalfes moved in, complete with reproduction period furnishings. It took eight years years, but $225,000 was raised in addition to the donation of in-kind services. Then, over a four-month period, Bernie Sekera (1934-2011) used photographs of the rooms to assemble the cherry and oak pieces. Pierce Kamke fashioned doors and missing pieces of window and mirror frames to match seamlessly with the originals. Contractor Henry Balling, Jr. donated coordination of the work. Architect Tom Jaeger (Kideney Architects/Laping, Jaeger Associates) contributed draftsmanship and supervision.