The University of Michigan and the city of Ann Arbor are constantly changing and evolving. In the past the campus grew in leaps and bounds as the surrounding city struggled to keep pace. Presently the campus is evolving while off campus, things are remaining much the same. No one knows what the future will hold for the University of Michigan or Ann Arbor but it seems that the future is coming quickly.
I often wish I could go back in time and walk through campus as it was in the past. I would love to see campus in the year 1927. If I would walk down South U. I think I would recognize some buildings, The Union and the Law Quad wouldn't look out of place. I could recognize Hill Auditorium and West Hall (with its Arch being installed only years earlier). What I can't picture though are the buildings that are no longer in existence. For example, University Hall on the site of the current Angell Hall auditoriums was razed in 1950 after some nutjob after he burned down Haven hall. I would love to walk by buildings like the University Hospital, West Engineering Annex (site of the UGLi) and Barbour Gymnasium (site of the chem building) all of which were razed to build newer structures. If I were to walk down state street in 1927 I might recognize some frat houses, and see homes standing where South Quad is supposed to be. I wouldn't see all the apartment buildings but houses, many of them with families living in them. Maybe children playing in the front yard. At State and Packard, all the the Restaurants that are now standing would still be homes but I might still be able to stop in Campus Corner and buy a coke (Built in 1897). I might make it to my house, which at the time probably didn't look anything like it does today. Across the street I would be able to see Ferry Field and watch Fielding Yost's football team practice. I think about students going all the way over to the Pretzel Bell on a Saturday night because Alcohol wasn't allowed on the campus side of Division street until much later. (The Brown Jug wasn't always a bar.) Off Campus students were renting rooms from families and pushing townies out. Apartments like Anabery (Melrose Place) were being built and the first storefronts were going up on South U. The Main street shops were creating satellite stores on State Street for students. The 1920's was a time of rapid growth for university buildings and as it grew so did the city.
It would be amazing to walk through campus to see the changes every ten years since that point. 1937 the construction of Rackam and West Quad. 1947 the LSA building and the return of life post great depression and war. 1957 the UGLi and Markley hall, plus the first signs of life for North Campus. 1967 Bursley Hall and the social turmoil on campus, imagine the feeling on campus with John Sinclair (before the 10 year prison sentence for 2 joints) and Vietnam. 1977 the CCRB and the closure of East U between South U and North U, I really want to go to a late 1970's Frat party, can you imagine what those would have been like? 1987 EECS building and the Hospital, what were Friday nights like before cell phones and AIM, how did people ever meet up with each other? 1997 Tisch hall and the school of social work, what was the feeling on campus that fall, knowing that a National Championship was in sight?
Now we get to 2007, the present. I think campus is undergoing change now as much as it is ever. The trends might fall away (hopefully Uggs and Crocs) but I think this is one last hurrah for campus expansion. It is often said that something is always being constructed around campus, and I remember an Every Three Weekly article that read "Campus Scaffolding to get 1.2 Million Renovation" But I feel that the building spree that has taken place since I have have been here is almost unmatched. Just buildings that have undergone renovation or construction in the 3 years I have been here: MoJo and Hill dining center, North Quad, Weill Hall, Business School, EECS, Student Publication Building, Alumni Hall, Alumni Field, Observatory Lodge, Walgreen Drama Center, Cardiovascular Center, BMRB, CSE, LSA building, Michigan Stadium. If a 1997 grad came back I think campus would look a lot different then it did when they were here. But in all the campus change, off campus things have remained quite the same, restaurants have come and gone, but the buildings have not changed much. The only construction in off campus housing have been additions and rebuilding due to fire. I can only think of one major off campus housing project in the three years I've lived in Ann Arbor and that is the construction of a 10 story apartment complex on the site of Anabery. I think its great that some new student housing is being built so close to campus, unfortunately they had to tear down a nearly historic building to do so. (note: Fielding Yost lived in that building during his long tenure at the University) I bet the all of the houses I have lived in will be here long after the buildings I have had classes in. But what is next for the University?
With the completion of the addition to Alumni Hall the Diag will have been completely developed. (I doubt anything will every be built on the northwest corner.) There are precious few spots for new buildings on central because every thing has been built. The other week I was asked by a friend where I thought the next big building would be built, and I told him in the location of the annexes that are south of Monroe and east of Oakland. Sure enough I read in the daily just the other day that the Law School is thinking about expanding to the other side of Monroe with a 102 Million addition. Where else? There are university annexes north of Huron by Flecther that could be built into a nice sized building. Perhaps the courtyard next to Martha Cook. But the question isn't where but what will be built. With the LSA building, North Quad, the Business School and the Walgreen Drama Center all getting new spaces, I don't really know what program needs a new building. U of M has grown into its space and as next years incoming class will be the largest class ever, but that is expected to lower in years after that. All these new buildings might all the space the school needs. I feel that there are two types of buildings on Central Campus, those that cannot be demolished to make way for better buildings and those that will become outdated and torn down. The Law Club, Michigan Union, Martha Cook, Hill Auditorium and Grad Library are all examples of building that I don't think will ever be torn down. They are considered to historic to be lost (that's also what they said about the Frieze Building). Other buildings like Dennison could (and hopefully will) be removed to build structures that will one day become historic too. I would guess that once a building makes it 100 years it will probably not be torn down without a good deal of ruckus. Maybe someday all of the buildings will be timeless enough that nothing is ever rebuilt, but only renovated. But as Central Campus is nearing its limits and the future is falling on North Campus. There has been a major push to increase the feeling of North Campus to that of Central Campus. To take it from the commuter feeling that Eero Saarinen imagined and turn it into a community like that of central. The addition of a performing arts center (Walgreen Drama Center) was a start but people still don't go to north campus like they hang out on central. This might be because of its distance from the city or perhaps it has to do with the lack of retail establishments, but for now North Campus is a place like it has always been, the nerdy little brother, who is trying to vie for attention but isn't getting any. Maybe with more buildings and some real attractions North Campus will finally reach its potential. But that's not to say that U of M isn't trying. Last week the Dean's of North Campus announced a new competition for North Campus called WorkPlay. It challenges groups of student to develop ideas to make North Campus more of a attraction rather than just classrooms and labs. The project is really open to any ideas and the best idea will be built with a budget up to $500,000. I plan to submit an entry and hopefully can take part in shaping the future of Michigan's campus.
Who knows what the campus will look like in 10, 20, 50 or 200 years. I hope that when I return years from now I will be able to recognize the buildings that I have grown to love and at the same time see the excitement of the new buildings that have been erected. (did that sound a little gay? For the record I love the buildings in a platonic way, you sicko.)
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