There was a time many years ago, when Library Mall didn’t look like a set from “The Hurt Locker.”
During better days, the square was rimmed with blooming trees and green grass stretched between the two libraries. The Hagenah Fountain was the centerpiece of this public space — its waters a space of congregation for students to meet, talk and splash around.
Throwback Thursday: West Gorham and North Broom Street, 1927
Unfortunately, the area fell victim to perpetual construction projects several years ago, and has yet to recover. Dump trucks, chain link fencing and patches of sickly grass fill the space where once happy Badgers frolicked. The Hagenah Fountain, once a local attraction, lies dormant under metal shutters.
If the fountain even survives this construction onslaught, it will be a few years yet before its water runs again.
See the Library Mall during happier days in the pictures below:
Photo courtesy of the UW Historical Society
