The UNCG Quad Could Become History

Should the UNC Greensboro Quad, an ninety-year-old landmark in the heart of the campus, be destroyed to make way for new dormitories?

You can have your say in the process that is the subject of the Chancellor's Open Forum this Wednesday April 8, from 2:30-4:00pm in the Alexander Room, Elliott University Center.

Organizers hope this forum will allow participants to learn of this major construction project that could considerably increase student on-campus housing.  Participants can debate the pros and cons of either sending the existing Quad to the landfill and building new, or renovating the Quad and building elsewhere. 

The Quad consists of Shaw Hall, Bailey Hall, Hinshaw Hall, Jamison Hall, Coit Hall, Cotten Hall, Gray Hall. It is well-known as a defining feature of the campus both in terms of open recreation space with signature oak trees as well as the surrounding neoclassical dormitories. The complex was built between 1919 and 1923 to accommodate housing needs during a period of high campus growth.

Wednesday’s public forum might be the only time for comment on this concept before the idea is presented to the UNCG Board of Trustees at their April meeting. The board could approve the plans during the meeting.

Several within the community have been surprised by the scope and scale of the project that would replace the Quad with 700 to 1150-bed units. The impact on the visual appearance of the historic campus would be dramatic.

UNCG has marketed itself as an historic and aesthetic university campus. Promotional material online touts the visual appeal of the campus by stating “With its picturesque campus of 200 acres, no wonder visitors to UNCG say, 'This is just the way a university is supposed to look.'”

Considering the historic and visual appeal of the Quad, and considering the value of the embodied energy and material used to construct the historic buildings 90 years ago, should the Quad be destroyed to make way for a new campus community?

What do you think?

Comments

[Meg]

No way. As a student at UNCG, I can't imagine our campus without the Quad. Those buildings are beautiful and are reminders of UNCG's long history as a university. It would be terrible to lose them. Also, those dorms are made of quality materials that just aren't found in most new buildings.

But they should definitely be renovated because they are very old buildings that need good upkeep, and to also ensure that those dorms stay there for a very long time.

[Ronan]

Losing the Quad would adversely impact the historic integrity of UNCG's campus. Aside from the reason's mentioned (historic, visual appeal, waste of materials, energy)losing the Quad would erase a significant portion of Greensboro's architectural heritage. The Quad was designed by architect Harry Barton, who most people consider one of Greensboro's most influential 20th Century architect.

[Benjamin]

Great points Meg and Ronan. I wonder if a plan could be drawn up to retain the existing buildings, but insert new as additions to increase the bed-count and provide on-campus housing.

I did not realize Barton designed these. Great find Ronan!

[Elizabeth Read]

Benjamin, is there a place for people to direct feedback or see the plans online if they cannot make it to the meeting?

[Ronan]

Elizabeth, I wrote a letter directly to Chancellor Brady via her assistant Cindy Reed whose e-mail can be found on UNC-G's website.

I would love to see any plans, which I could not locate.

[Glenn Perkins]

The Chancellor's forum was well attended with almost every speaker from the floor advocating renovating rather than tearing down the historic residential quad. The chancellor will meet with alumni representatives next week and then present the options to the university board of trustees.

You can read about the meeting on Twitter at http://twitter.com/search?q=%23uncgquad#search?q=%23uncgquad. And you can email Chancellor Brady directly to let her know your opinion at chancellor@uncg.edu.

I hope a lot of alums will contact her with their strong opinion that the Quad is worth keeping.

[R]

The quad's historical value is definitely something to consider preserving... but at what cost? The university touts itself as a "picturesque campus of 200 acres" but what good is keeping these historic buildings if we have to destroy other parts of campus to make room for a new building. By rebuilding we can offer more space to students without compromising our campus's limited natural spaces. If we choose to keep the quad then we will have to build a new building elsewhere. Once we pave over all of our natural areas on campus we will have no more. So instead of building more and more buildings which take up more and more space why not build more modern and advanced buildings that can house more students in the same space?

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this is historical place, why must be destroyed to construct more dormitories? why not the student rent a room close the place and leave this place as a cultural legacy.

[Katie]

No! The quad basically saved me. I switched in a quad this semester because I hated how big the high rises were. I love it here. The rooms are bigger and more spacious, and the dorms themselves are small making easier to meet new people and you feel like you connect with almost everyone here. They are perfect for me because I do better in smaller groups. It's also in a prime location on campus, for me.

Getting rid of these historical buildings would also be horrible. If anything is done to them at all, why not just renovate like Mary Foust was and keep the actual buildings still here? The quads are a key part of this campus. It won't be UNCG without the quad.

I also don't think it's a good idea to construct on all 7 of them at one time. Sure the new dorm will be open but closing 7 perfectly livable dorms is eliminating a lot of living space for students. Maybe 2 at a time? I'm sure there are enough students who wouldn't mind the constuction around them.