Who was Rafael Guastavino and what is his connection to Davidson?
Rafael Guastavino was a Spanish architect and building engineer with expertise in tile vaulting and the creation of archways. Guastavino immigrated to America and became involved who became involved in prominent building projects, such as the Biltmore Estate. Guastavino is connected to Davidson by his work during the reconstruction of the Chambers Building.
The original Chambers Building burned to the ground in a 1921 fire and construction for a new building began in 1924. The architect for this building was Henry C. Hibbs of Nashville, TN and the builders were Blythe and Isenhour of Charlotte, NC.
Columbia University's Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library holds the records and drawings of the Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company. In the finding aid for this collection, the Chambers Building is listed as one of the company's projects and one of these records includes a "detail drawing of dome in sections and half plan" from the year 1928-1929. Here is a link to that item description. Thinking about the architecture of Chambers, it seems likely that Guastavino's work is present in the dome of the Chambers Building, likely where Hance Auditorium is currently located.
For more about Guastavino, the library has access to a digital copy of John Allen Ochsendorf's book Guastavino: Vaulting the Art of Structural Tile.