Who says that you can’t modernize without sacrificing character? The University of Wisconsin-Madison campus seems to be, from my amateur viewpoint, an eclectic mix of opposing architectural philosophies put into practice. While I would never claim to be well versed in theories of building design, it hardly requires a professional eye to observe, for instance, the disparity between Bascom Hall and nearby Van Hise Hall. Although such structural differences may seem awkward, this type of contrast is what defines the UW campus. With this in mind, a thought struck me recently, as I walked through the cavernous halls of the soon-to-be-demolished Humanities building: although a first-class university must constantly renew and modernize itself, the UW’s impending campus reconstruction plan goes far beyond necessity, ruthlessly altering the campus to the point where it may no longer be recognizable.

Originally a sole product of 19th and early 20th-century architecture, the UW campus, after a long period of complacency, eventually faced the need for drastic expansion during the mid-20th century, as the baby-boomer generation began to arrive on campus. Before long, the popular building styles of the 1960s began to appear around Madison. Structures such as Ogg Hall (built in 1965), Van Hise Hall (built in 1965) and the Humanities building (built in 1966, and rumored as having been designed with consideration for student protests) complimented existing buildings, adding character to the UW campus through the sometimes bland but nonetheless distinct designs of their era. The Madison campus, in effect, became a product of two polar-opposite conceptual periods, making it the unique architectural hodgepodge that it is today. Unfortunately, soon the UW as it is currently known will cease to exist.

There is hardly a person affiliated with the UW who wishes for it to contentedly wither away and fall behind other modern universities. However, rather than carefully renovating and modernizing it, the plan to reconstruct the campus — already underway with the building of two new dormitories — will effectively eliminate an era of architecture, almost pretending that an important chapter in history was never written.

The conceitedly titled “Master Plan” for the UW campus outlines ambitious actions that include knocking down the Humanities building, Ogg Hall, Van Hise Hall, the Peterson building, the Psychology building, University Square Mall and a slew of other buildings within the next few years. Essentially, anything mildly reminiscent of the 1960s will soon be gone. It seems that the idea of remodeling buildings rather than demolishing them was not even considered by the authors of this “Master Plan,” which will eradicate the UW’s character and create a world of generic and homogenous Grainger Halls.

Perhaps the most absurd aspect of the UW campus reconstruction plan is the haste with which action will be taken. As it attempts to correct what it considers the errors of the hurried 1960s-era campus reconstruction, the “Master Plan” will be executed just as quickly as its predecessor. Maybe I sound naíve, but it seems to me that this massive, accelerated operation is very likely to eventually require a correction similar to that which the campus is supposedly about to undergo. Ironically, as it ignores the history that it is about to eliminate, the “Master Plan” is repeating the very mistakes used as its justification.

In order to attract the brightest students and faculty, it is essential that Wisconsin’s premier University constantly take action to modernize and compete with similar institutions. However, in taking such a sweeping action as the current plan for reconstruction, the UW is losing touch with its own identity. Rather than employing a moderate approach of considerate restoration and renovation, the University is choosing to destroy and rebuild a huge portion of the campus, compromising its unique character. The “Master Plan” will not only repeat past mistakes, but it will destroy much of the UW’s rich history.

Rob Rossmeissl ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science.