Historic Section of UF Campus to be Torn Up

[92gator]

Originally Posted by cocodrilo

Next they should build an indoor practice facility on the Plaza of the Americas.

...or putting a teflon roof over Florida Field.

[sappanama]

Originally Posted by vertigo0923

its more than that even. it's beautiful, it's 'old florida', it's peaceful, and they need to leave it the f'k alone!!!!!

i'm buying a lottery ticket because i 100% agree with verti on this.

[rampartgator]

....in the 1950's and went to UF in the late '60's and early '70's. I rarely return anymore because both the town and the campus are so different that I no longer recognize them.

This isn't a case of my opposing change, but rather opposing change at the cost of destruction of the past. Other Southern college towns--Oxford, Miss; UVA; Athens, Ga.; have managed to grow their campuses while preserving their heritage, and the consequence has been the creation of University communities which manage to preserve tradition while modernizing at the same time. As a result, the towns themselves have become attractions in addition to the universities which are located there.

But---not so with G'ville and UF, where the driving force seems to be to obliterate the past as much as possible. Downtown is full of surface parking lots where once there were sound 80 to 100 year old buildings, and what new construction has taken place is pure anywhere USA schlock. The gaping hole in the landscape across from UF where Goering's, etc., used to be is a prime example. What Gaineseville lacks and college towns sorely need are human-scale environments close to campus where people can gather and small, independent businesses can flourish. That was once true there, but that entire block was leveled based upon some grandiose plan which then fell apart, and now it is an open sore. That prime piece of real estate, at the most prominent intersection in town, looks exactly like a little slice of a warm-weather Detroit. Charming!

And now UF wants to wipe out one of the last remaining bits of green space in the old part of campus? Sad, but not surprising.

[MastaG8r]

Originally Posted by Row6

I would normally be sympathetic to opposing such a move, but not sure on this one. In my experience that corner is not popular public hangout, and while the sign has been there a while it is pretty non-descript, serving mostly as a backdrop for Hare Krishnas and political protestors congregating on the sidewalk in front. The devil will be in the design and execution, and indeed now could be a nightmare. The sign with cute gators does not inspire confidence.

I'm with you on this one. I have a feeling that some people posting in this thread are either not sure which corner is being talked about or they haven't been back to campus recently.

That whole corner is almost all filled in with buildings already. The "green space" we're talking about is not like any kind of parkish area where anybody hangs out. In fact it's not a big space at all. Just a small cluster of trees surrounded by bushes, with a base of dirt and mulch. There's no grass there.

I hope they do something nice aesthetically because it's the first view of the campus you encounter when approaching from the east. But in any event the development of that corner will not be any loss of green space worthy of lamenting.

[cocodrilo]

That intersection started going downhill when they replaced the SAE house (with the lion in front that people loved to paint) with a gas station.

[MastaG8r]

Originally Posted by cocodrilo

That intersection started going downhill when they replaced the SAE house (with the lion in front that people loved to paint) with a gas station.

That gas station on the SE corner of University and 13th has the highest prices in Gainesville. Meanwhile I read somewhere that Gainesville has the highest gas prices in Florida. So if that's true then that station has the distinction of having the highest prices in the whole state. What an honor.

[RealDeal]

Originally Posted by cocodrilo

Isn't there a vacant lot now across the street (where Goering's Bookstore, Burrito Brothers etc. used to be)? Why not buy it and put their building there? Good for the environment too. Vacant lots are ugly.

university land--free
land across the street--very expensive

the university's broke--end of story

[secgator]

Originally Posted by PSGator66

That sucks! I always liked that corner as an entrance to the campus.

This. Of all the places on campus to be considered an "entrance"--this one has always been THE entrance in my view.

This idea needs to be stopped. Petition can be found where?

[citygator]

"Heavily wooded?" Only if they planted 10 year old trees the year I was a freshman. Big state. Lots of woods other places in the county where they aren't educating 30,000 people.

[Tolbert1906]

Originally Posted by Row6

I would normally be sympathetic to opposing such a move, but not sure on this one. In my experience that corner is not popular public hangout, and while the sign has been there a while it is pretty non-descript, serving mostly as a backdrop for Hare Krishnas and political protestors congregating on the sidewalk in front. The devil will be in the design and execution, and indeed now could be a nightmare. The sign with cute gators does not inspire confidence.

I've never seen people hanging out there either, but that's not the point. It is the entryway into campus, one of the main corridors that is used every day. One of the nice things about campus is being able to walk through it and enjoy the surroundings. So what if no one hangs out there? I always just liked being able to walk through the Plaza of the Americas into the business courtyard and then through that corner of campus to Leonardo's, Burrito Bros, Maui Teriyaki, or wherever.

The building plans involve creating an entry plaza. I actually wouldn't mind it that much if they did spruce up that corner, even if it meant removing the UF sign. But plopping a big building right behind it would completely destroy the character of that whole area.

This is one of the few green spaces left in the Historic District. If they build here, it sets a bad precedent. It won't be long before they decide to build along the perimeter of the Plaza of the Americas. And then they'll decide they need to add more buildings. Before you know it, the only thing left of the Plaza will be a 5'x5' patch of grass (complete with historical marker).

"Heavily forested" was probably a bit extreme. But it is still a very quiet, scenic, natural area. I would disagree that it is just a "small cluster of trees" not worthy of lamenting. Try telling that to Auburn University. "Hey, it's just two trees."

[Tolbert1906]

Originally Posted by Tolbert1906

Before you know it, the only thing left of the Plaza will be a 5'x5' patch of grass (complete with historical marker).

And this isn't even as ridiculous as it sounds. UF recently put up a historical marker for Old Benton Hall, which doesn't even exist anymore.
http://chalkboard.blogs.gainesville....orical-marker/


Benton Hall was demolished. There was nothing really wrong with it other than it was small and needed some interior renovating. But it was demolished to make way for a larger, state-of-the-art, modern-looking building. This building became known as Grinter Hall:

[RayGator]

Originally Posted by rampartgator

....in the 1950's and went to UF in the late '60's and early '70's. I rarely return anymore because both the town and the campus are so different that I no longer recognize them.

This isn't a case of my opposing change, but rather opposing change at the cost of destruction of the past. Other Southern college towns--Oxford, Miss; UVA; Athens, Ga.; have managed to grow their campuses while preserving their heritage, and the consequence has been the creation of University communities which manage to preserve tradition while modernizing at the same time. As a result, the towns themselves have become attractions in addition to the universities which are located there.

But---not so with G'ville and UF, where the driving force seems to be to obliterate the past as much as possible. Downtown is full of surface parking lots where once there were sound 80 to 100 year old buildings, and what new construction has taken place is pure anywhere USA schlock. The gaping hole in the landscape across from UF where Goering's, etc., used to be is a prime example. What Gaineseville lacks and college towns sorely need are human-scale environments close to campus where people can gather and small, independent businesses can flourish. That was once true there, but that entire block was leveled based upon some grandiose plan which then fell apart, and now it is an open sore. That prime piece of real estate, at the most prominent intersection in town, looks exactly like a little slice of a warm-weather Detroit. Charming!

And now UF wants to wipe out one of the last remaining bits of green space in the old part of campus? Sad, but not surprising.

It just utterly burns me to no end what various UF administrations have done over the years to absolutely ruin what was once the beautiful old section of our beloved campus. Sadly, so many younger Gators now probably have no idea, unless they may see some pictures from the past, just how beautiful it once was. During my years at UF, 1961-62-63, you could stand near the Century Tower and look north through the beautiful Plaza of the Americas all the way to University Avenue and see the the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity house! The Plaza was absolutely beautiful back then. I was in the Gator Band back then and on Wednesday evenings in the Spring pf the year, we use to have outdoor concerts on the Plaza. A lot of people would show up, spread their blankets on the ground, have their snacks, and enjoy the concerts. Then a few years after I left UF some idiot jerk decided that the Library should be extended across and into the Plaza! That was the first ruining of the Plaza. Then over the years more buildings were placed on the Plaza. I didn't realize how bad it had become until April back in 2012. My fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon, was holding a reunion for Fraters of the 1960s. One of the things we did was to take a walking tour of that part of the campus, the area of the old Plaza. Two present students were "tour guides" and they were absolutely super and patient. I was trying to explain to one them what it was like when the Plaza was wide open and beautiful. He couldn't fathom it.

Another thing that ruined the look of the old campus, was the road (forget the name right now) that went from the back (west side) of Tigert Hall, administration building, all the way down past the south side of Florida Field and continued west to Beta Woods, was chopped in half! Another absolute idiot decided to have another building placed right in the way of it. So what was once a long and beautiful drive through the UF campus was destroyed! Now our old part of the campus has such a chopped up, ugly look to it. It's sickening!

You know, when you visit other colleges that have been around for over 100 years, more often than not, they try and keep the beauty of their old campus in tact. Why we have had administrations through the decades that don't, I'll never understand. My older brother graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville VA. "Mr. Jefferson's academic village" as it's known there. You can believe that in this day and age Thomas Jefferson would recognize the old campus he designed there.

[rampartgator]

Well said, Ray. Aesthetic satisfaction is all about unity of design, and what unity of design UF's campus once had has been sliced and diced and stuffed full of oversize blah until it simply no longer exists. Does the campus even have a center, a focal point any longer? Not that I can find.

Last summer I visited relatives in Oxford, Mississippi. Granted that while Ole MIss is a much smaller university in terms of the number of its students, they have protected the core of their original master plan (Barnard Hall, the Ellipse, The Grove) while largely placing new construction on the edge of the campus. The entire campus is connected by a series of winding paths in which the view constantly changes as you round the next curve, making for an unfolding panaorama.

The result is a campus which rivals many Ivy League schools aesthetically, and whose overall layout serves the desirable purpose of bringing people together in a very natural way. The Grove, with its oval shape and huge, mature trees smack in the center of campus is a natural setting for everything from picnics to Shakespeare to Blues performances. In football season it accomodates one of college football's great scenes; can UF claim anything like that? Sadly, the answer is no.

[rampartgator]

Tolbert, thank you for the comparative photos of Benton Hall and Grinter Hall. Benton Hall was a beautiful example of what was once known as "Florida Gothic," with its balanced design, pointed arches and lots of glass. Grinter Hall looks like it came out of the 1960's era Soviet Union, all solid mass and utilitarian function. Why couldn't Benton have been put to some worthwhile adaptive resue, and Grinter Hall have been put somewhere else? There probably is no good answer to that question.

Originally Posted by Tolbert1906

And this isn't even as ridiculous as it sounds. UF recently put up a historical marker for Old Benton Hall, which doesn't even exist anymore.
http://chalkboard.blogs.gainesville....orical-marker/


Benton Hall was demolished. There was nothing really wrong with it other than it was small and needed some interior renovating. But it was demolished to make way for a larger, state-of-the-art, modern-looking building. This building became known as Grinter Hall:

[wgbgator]

What happens when there are no more "noble Gothic walls" or "lovely vineclad halls?" Do they have to change the alma mater?

[cocodrilo]

When are they going to demolish the Century Tower? It stands there like a big sore thumb.

[egator1245]

Originally Posted by cocodrilo

When are they going to demolish the Century Tower? It stands there like a big sore thumb.

When enough virgins walk by at the same time it will be gone!

[WESGATORS]

I disagree with the majority here. For one thing, while the old buildings may be pretty to look at, most of them are inefficient and not so pleasant on the inside. Beauty is clearly in the eye of the beholder, but I find the newer versions much better than the older versions. Most of the expansions on campus over the past 20 years are improvements from my perspective. I don't see any reason to expect that this won't be done properly as well. As for the trees, they're going to be planting more than they take down, and has had already been mentioned, it's not exactly a popular hangout spot on campus. I'd hardly consider it an "entrance" as much as it is a "back door."

Go GATORS!
,WESGATORS

[Swampmaster]

Idea: retractable roof over the plaza of the americas in case of rain, cold, etc!

[MichiGator2002]

It makes me happy in retrospect that I loved in the Murphree area for almost all my undergrad, including Thomas, Murphree, and Fletcher. The day they come for the Murph, I will raise an army.