News

City commission calls Field House landmark

UW athletics facility progresses toward historic protection

The University of Wisconsin Field House moved one step closer toward becoming a city landmark Monday after the Landmarks Commission unanimously extended their recommendation to make the athletic building a historic preservation site.

The site — constructed from 1929 to 1930 — is an integral part of the university’s Athletic Department, best-known for housing the UW basketball team up until about 10 years ago, as well as boxing and wrestling competitions, historian of the Landmarks Commission Stuart Levitan said.

“It has architectural integrity and historical context,” Levitan said. “This is one of those no-brainers. It’s clearly a landmark building and part of the university’s development.”

Boxing had become a very popular varsity sport at UW, especially in the 1940s to the 1950s, Levitan said. The team, led by coach John Walsh, was undefeated and untied in nine out of 16 seasons, and many individual members of the team won national titles, according to a historical report created by Christina Endres of Madison Trust for Historic Preservation.

However, the boxing team was terminated when Charlie Mohr, a UW boxer, was killed in a bout during the Pan American Boxing Trials in the mid 1960’s, Levitan said.

Famous people have also given speeches at the Field House, including Mohammed Ali, Levitan said.

Gary Brown, director of campus planning and landscape architecture, said he has been working to make the Field House a landmark for the last three to six months.

Brown added the building has “obvious history” that makes it an important site.

“It is an import historical facility across the entire city,” Brown said. “It’s not just important to the campus but to the city as well, because a lot of important events have gone on there.”

Brown said a few university landmarks are already recognized city landmarks, such as the Old Governor’s Hall and the Red Gym.

However, if the Field House is declared a city landmark, the University will need permission to renovate the building, Brown said.

According to Rebecca Cnare, acting presentation planner of the Landmarks Commission, the commission needs to recommend the proposed renovation to the City Council, which could overrule anything that is declared “advisory.”

The commission also has the ability to overturn a renovation recommendation made by the university, Cnare said.

Although Brown said university officials do not want to alter the building in a major way, in time they do want to renovate its windows.

Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, said it is overdue for the Field House to become a city landmark, adding it is a surprise the Field House is a national landmark but not yet a city landmark.

The Landmarks Commission proposal will most likely be reviewed by the City Council May 19.