NEWS
Housing to include modern design
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Also by Darryl Schnell:
- Crowley to ALRC: drop drink specials (October 20, 2005)
- Mayor veto on Overture possible (October 20, 2005)
- Building commission rejects 9-story proposal (October 20, 2005)
- In-Depth: Changing the face of Badger fans (September 4, 2006)
- Keeping respect in mind (October 6, 2006)
Related Stories:
- Ogg Hall demolition date pushed back a year (March 23, 2004)
- Debate continues over new dorm (April 27, 2004)
- UW begins new dorm construction (October 18, 2004)
- UW preparing to replace Ogg Hall (February 24, 2006)
- Downtown meeting looks at campus-improvement plans (February 20, 2004)
by Darryl Schnell
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
The demolition of Ogg Hall in summer 2007 will usher in two new modern replacements across the street for incoming freshmen at the University of Wisconsin in the fall of the same year. The Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee discussed the new residence halls and the Campus Master Plan at a meeting Monday night.
A new Ogg Hall, located on the corner of Dayton Street and Park Street, and a still unnamed residence hall at 101 N. Park St., will replace the current Ogg Hall by fall 2007. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Facilities Alan Fish said the two residence halls would set the stage for the overall architectural plan on the southeast part of campus.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, summed up the majority of the campus community’s feelings toward the current Ogg Hall during the meeting.
“I would expect some kind of Ogg Hall destruction party,” Verveer said.
Director of Planning and Landscape Architecture for the Campus Master Plan Gary Brown said renovations for the Elvehjem Museum of Art would begin as soon as adequate funds are acquired, which he said may be as early as 2006. Brown said University Square would be ready for occupation as a campus facility as early as 2008.
“We want these buildings to be members of the same family, but different siblings,” Fish said, describing the consistency of architecture in the southeast area of campus. “We’re striving for continuity without sameness.”
The SERF will be the unfortunate “cheap-looking” black sheep of the family, Fish added.
The new residence halls, according to Brown, will offer incoming freshmen the same community feelings as the current Ogg Hall, but with fewer of the inconveniences that usually accompany community living.
Brown said freshmen would enjoy semi-private bathrooms instead of the community showers and bathrooms of other residence halls at UW. The new Ogg Hall will feature bathrooms for eight students to share. The Park Street residence hall will allow four to five students to share a bathroom.
According to Brown, the new dorms will have larger rooms than the current Ogg Hall and will feature walk-in closets in every room that will double as changing rooms.
“If for some reason [a student’s] roommate has friends over or something,” Brown said, “and [that student] had a party to get to, [that student] would be able to change in the walk-in closet and not be forced to change in front of the visitors.”
This lack of intimacy among students in “houses” will not take away from the sense of community, Brown said. Each house will be equipped with larger common lounges where members of the house will have more space to build a community, he added.
According to Brown, the new residence hall will feature computer labs on the first floor. He said this would add to the modern feel of the new halls.
Committee members expressed their approval of the new residence halls, their excitement for the destruction of Ogg Hall and the opening of its replacements in 2007.
“I think this is exactly what the neighborhood was looking for,” Ald. Austin King, District 8, said.
