Some University of Wisconsin officials say the campus is in dire need of the proposed renovations that would demolish Ogg Hall and the Humanities building.

“The music department is currently at a crisis point,” said John Schaffer, director of the School of Music, regarding the music department’s occupancy of the Humanities building’s basement through fifth floors.

Schaffer described underspaced, crammed music halls unable to fit most campus and off-campus spectators. One of the three concert halls has all its air conditioners and heating facilities on the roof, further worsening the acoustics within its wood-paneled walls.

The art department, headquartered in the Humanities building, faces a similar predicament. Jim Escalante, department chair, said their current gallery space is simply a tiny remodeled hallway in the Humanities building.

He also said many students and faculty members find it increasingly difficult to commute to the nine different facilities designated to the department, which stretch from Camp Randall all the way to Dickinson Street. He described classroom conditions as “deplorable.”

The Elvehjem museum addition and the demolition of the UW Extension Building are geared to provide both departments with a plot for a more cohesive academic environment. The new building replacing the old Humanities will house the history and other humanities departments.

“The style of the Humanities building is such that it separates itself from the larger community, as it came shortly after the war demonstrations of the ’60s and ’70s,” said Mark Olinger, Director of Planning and Development of City Planning, suggesting the new building’s design would create a much more comfortable meeting place for faculty and students.

Dennis Chaptman, spokesperson for the UW Communications Office, agreed and said a lack of moderate-sized, ventilated classrooms is a problem for some. Another element of the plan would rid the campus of Ogg Hall rather than renovate the building.

“We found that renovation would be difficult and would actually reduce the number of beds available to students,” said Paul Evans, director of University Housing.

Modernizing Ogg Hall would involve getting rid of walls at the core of the building, thus tremendously increasing expenses. It would also be impossible to alter the rooms’ low floor-to-ceiling heights.

Three residence halls would be erected by the time of Ogg’s destruction, providing 600 to 1,000 incoming students with more dorm spaces. The open area would serve as basketball, volleyball and grass courts.

Before the previous phases go into effect, floors of underground parking, retail and student housing and services would fashion a new University Square. The construction will cause a temporary relocation of all their business enterprises, however.

“Our biggest [concern] is that businesses will leave,” said Susan Springman, vice president of University Square’s owner company, Executive Management, Inc. “Empty space is hard to fill, so we are doing our best to work with each business’s relative needs.”

Sue Schoenbeck, manager of University Square’s Paisan’s Restaurant, said the project would ease a problematic lack of parking space.

However, when asked whether Paisan’s planned on coming back after University Square’s renovation, Schoenbeck said it all depended on the success of the new location.