New and impressive buildings are rising all over the University of Wisconsin campus, including the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Union South and the new lakeshore residence hall. However, in the non-campus area, you see a very different image – stagnation.

The residents of this city seem to be afraid of change. They fight every new renovation or building proposal that comes through Madison, claiming they are defending the historic nature of this city when in reality they are standing in the way of progress. Some key examples include the Edgewater Hotel, theater lounge at Memorial Union and 100 block of State Street.

Mansion Hill residents fought for almost two years trying to prevent the Edgewater Hotel from blocking their view of the lake. Students and community members oppose the theater lounge “glass box,” as it is popularly called, because it will supposedly block the sun from the Terrace. Now, nearby residents of State Street oppose renovation of the most dilapidated section of Madison’s iconic street because it will change the character of the businesses there.

State Street is the most famous area in Madison because it is the literal and figurative gateway between the state government and the university. The 100 and 700 blocks of State Street are the most important because they are the first part visitors to this city often see, and they set the tone of the rest of the iconic street, whether you are visiting the campus or Capitol.

The 700 block is a perfect example of this. When coming from campus, you pass through Library Mall, where you see the open courtyard, a fountain, two libraries, the UW Bookstore, the Red Gym and Memorial Union. As you cross Lake Street, you see shops that represent student life: Walgreens, Wisconsin apparel stores, small restaurants and several coffee shops. You know when you enter State Street this is the hub of student life and a great place to be.

Let’s compare this to entering the 100 block of State Street from the state Capitol. You see a few restaurants and some cheap clothing stores, but also several vacant buildings and crumbling facades. Is this really how we want to represent Madison to legislators and businessmen?

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin and needs the prestige to show for it. Part of this comes with beautifying and modernizing the city’s architecture to make it more appealing and representative of this great state.

The need to preserve the historic nature of this city is important, but it needs to be balanced with our ever-changing society, something architects and designers have worked hard to accomplish. The renovation of the 100 block of State Street would preserve the original fa?ade of the buildings. The theater lounge at Memorial Union will be compliant with the state historical landmark statutes. The Edgewater Hotel design decreased in height and worked to modernize a dilapidated and ugly building while still maintaining the allure of the Mansion Hill District.

While the past is important, the future is equally so. Residents of this city need to look forward and see the good these new renovations will do for the city instead of trying to keep Madison in the outdated status quo.

Alex Brousseau ([email protected]) is a second year law student.