Unifying the MU campus: A "sense of place"

by Jon Stemmle

esse Hall has it. So do the Columns. Memorial Tower has it "in spades."

The common thread among this list is that they all convey a sense of place that is uniquely MU. The one problem, however, is that unlike Princeton with its ivy or Arizona with an entire campus of red brick buildings, MU has no unifying theme.

Lowry Mall has become a center of student activity on the MU campus.

"There is a lot of individuality on campus, but not really significant architecture," said Bob Unrath, manager of Design Services in Campus Facilities. "We call it 'Midwest common sense.' Overall it has resulted in a pretty decent job of building the campus, but MU is still trying to find its identity."

With many phases of building over the years, finding an identity or sense of place is a difficult task at this university.

Another problem has been the dramatic increase in land, from 44 acres to more than 1,300 over the last 160 years.

"I think it is easier for some other universities that were built at one time, of one mind and of one place," said Kee Groshong, vice chancellor-Administrative Services. "Many campuses start at 500 or 1,000 acres and they plan everything on that land. WE couldn't do that."

The three major phases of building happened in 1839-1900 (creation of the red campus), 1901-1950 (creation of the white campus) and 1951-1980 (creation of most residence halls). This construction trend caused the campus to spread out, forming very specific, island-like areas of campus.

While the "islands" have a very definite sense of place, such as the hospital and athletic areas, it has only been in the last 15 years that the idea of unifying the campus has come to the fore.

"In 1839 no one predicted that the university would be this size," said Groshong. "It is harder to get that overall unity here because of the way the campus evolved. That said, Jesse Hall, the Columns, and the Francis Quadrangle definitely have a sense of place."

Bridging the gap

In the quest to bring about an overall unity to MU, architects and planners focused early on "bridging" unconnected campus areas. Jack Robinson, MU's first master planner, in the early 1980s linked MU's red and white campuses with Lowry Mall, which graces the area between Jesse Hall and the Memorial Union.

"We have built a city in and of itself in Columbia," said Bobb Swanson, a facilities project manager in Campus Facilities. "We have our own commerce, power plant, human resources, social activities so we are like a community village."

With its main entrance on Lowry Mall, the Ellis Library is today the primary meeting place of students on campus.

The South Quadrangle is the latest area to serve as a bridge, connecting the hospital area with both the red and white campuses. What began as Robinson's dream is becoming reality after the purchase and subsequent demolition of many privately owned buildings that once occupied that area. With construction of Hulston Hall and the Reynolds Alumni Center complete, all that remains is the addition of Cornell Hall, the home of the College of Business and Public Administration, and the creation of walkways, gardens and other landscaping.

"The South Quad will have a sense of place different from that of the Francis Quadrangle," said Groshong. "It will be unique in its own way and tie together the buildings in the south central section of campus. The South Quad will be another focal point of pride in our continuing efforts to improve our campus."