"The Babson Globe is a globe located in the campus of Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Weighing 25 tons and with a diameter of 28 feet (8.5 meters), it was the world's largest rotating globe when it was built in 1955. Eartha, located in Maine as of 2016, later surpassed Babson's record.

"The globe was an idea of Roger Babson, the college's founder. He came up with the idea of building the globe in 1947 as a way of promoting interest in world affairs. In the first years, the globe attracted thousands of visitors annually, but by the late 1970s, the globe had fallen into disrepair. The porcelain-baked steel tiles that covered the globe (recreating the continents and oceans) fell off in 1984 and for the next 9 years the globe looked like a big and rusted ball. In addition, during the 1980s, the machinery that made the globe spin stopped working. Due to the state of disrepair, in 1988 the administration of the college decided to demolish the globe. In response, students and faculty led by C. Christopher Lingamfelter and Professor Larry Meile formed a committee called "Save the Globe", which was able to raise funds to restore the globe.

"In 1993 the globe was restored, featuring 506 vinyl panels and the most advanced satellite imagery available at the time. In 2018, the globe was restored again and moved from Coleman Hall to the Kerry Murphy Healey Park, where it was unveiled in May 2019, as part of the centennial commemoration of the college."  (Wikipedia)

"When Babson Globe was built in 1955, it was the largest rotating globe ever designed. Roger Babson, the founder of Babson College, and his grandson Roger Webber came up with the idea of the globe in 1947 and personally funded $200,000 for its construction," the Atlas Obscura says.

"The Babson Globe remained the largest rotating globe until 1988 and drew large crowds to the campus. Unfortunately, it fell into a state of disrepair and underwent a series of restorations leading to a rededication in 1993. In the spring of 2018, the globe was moved from outside Coleman Hall into the Trim parking lot, where it underwent further restoration aimed at making the globe rotate once again.

"The globe was once again rededicated in 2019, and today sits in Kerry Murphy Healey Park, where it spins next to plaques detailing the college’s history, and a statue of its namesake, Roger Babson."

"The Babson Globe is the brainchild of Roger Babson, the College’s brilliant and eccentric founder. Together with a 65-foot plaster relief map of the lower 48 states, it was the centerpiece of The Map and Globe Museum in Coleman Hall.

"The Globe was meant to “impress upon students and other viewers an appreciation of the world as a whole … stimulating an interest in world geography, history, economics, transportation, and trade.” Babson and his grandson, Roger Webber, came up with the idea for the Globe in 1947, provided $200,000 in personal funding, and commissioned the Globe’s construction in the early 1950s," the official website says.

"Incoming president William Glavin tackled the Globe restoration as one of his administration’s first projects, announcing a Future of the Globe Committee tasked with finishing the Globe’s restoration. The committee secured a $55,000 gift from William Yeager ’49 and his family to complete the restoration. When the Globe was rededicated in 1993, it featured 506 vinyl panels and the most advanced satellite imagery available at the time."

"The Kerry Murphy Healey Park is being fully funded through philanthropy. The initial construction phase and the restoration of the Babson Globe were made possible through the generosity of alumnus and trustee Robert Weissman '64, H'94, P'87 '90, and his wife, Jan Weissman P'87 '90. Subsequent gifts from alumni, faculty, parents, staff, and friends totaling more than $3.5 million have enabled Babson to name the park in President Healey's honor," an official press release says.

"Located in Babson Park, a section of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Kerry Murphy Healey Park will showcase two beloved campus landmarks—the Babson World Globe and the Fountain of Flags. Each pays homage to founder Roger Babson's global mindset and the international nature of the Babson community. Babson commissioned the World Globe in 1947 to "impress upon students and other viewers an appreciation of the world as a whole."

"The World Globe, originally located adjacent to Coleman Hall on Map Hill, is undergoing extensive renovations and is being relocated to Healey Park, which will be in the center of Babson's campus. The park also will include a statue of Roger Babson and a Centennial walkway with historic markers describing each decade of Babson's first 100 years."

"WJE was retained to perform an inspection of the support and operating machinery of the Babson College Globe. The globe is comprised of an approximately 28-foot-diameter steel sphere, which is supported in roller bearings on an inclined trunnion. It was known that at some point the lower trunnion bearing failed, causing damage to the operating machinery."



"Located on the Babson College campus, the 28-foot-diameter, 25-ton Babson College Globe was originally engineered to rotate on its own axis. The operating machinery rotates the globe about the trunnion and rotates the trunnion and support structure to simulate the movement of the Earth as it orbits the sun. At the time of WJE's mechanical inspection, the historic heavy movable structure was undergoing a yearlong donor-funded restoration," the WISS, JANNEY, ELSTNER ASSOCIATES, INC., says.

"WJE engineers developed conceptual design details for the new and rehabilitated machinery components and worked collaboratively with the contractor afterward to develop the shop drawings and means and methods to safely jack and remove the globe from its trunnion, reinstall the globe on the trunnion with the new bearings, and restore the operating machinery to operating condition. WJE provided engineering support services through completion of the construction work."

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