theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Dec 21, 2008 9:45:23 GMT -5
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121804139_pf.htmlLauinger Library, Georgetown University 37th and N streets NW As you drive inbound across the Key Bridge and look to the left at the beautiful campus across the river, you can see the spires that are iconic to the university, but right in front of the Gothic Healy Hall sit those two atrocious towers of the library that are so out of place and taint the picture. What were they thinking? -- Marc Hinson, 29, Falls Church Let's say it's the late 1960s and you're Georgetown University. You want your new library "to harmonize with the other buildings facing the quad," like the stately and dignified Healy Hall, whose majestic spires are visible from across the city. But how? Here's an idea: Don't hire John Carl Warnecke to design a Brutalist reinterpretation of it, pairing Healy's cathedral of academia with a bludgeoned hulk of exposed concrete. Things aren't so hot on the building's interior, either, as a recent editorial in the campus paper, the Hoya, makes clear. "Changes must reflect the need for expanded study and meeting space, and for the development of a more inviting learning environment," the editorial states. "Lauinger must become a destination, not a mark of shame on our campus." The sad thing is that the picture could have been much worse.
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Post by strummer8526 on Dec 21, 2008 11:43:04 GMT -5
I've heard that there's some idea in the works, to expand the library, which would include putting a new facade on it. Anyone know anything about that?
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Dec 21, 2008 16:41:20 GMT -5
Oh, the library. I knew Tony Lauringer, brother of the person (neither ugly), whose name graces the library. Tony was voted the best athlete on campus his senior year in 1967. He was the QB on Georgetown's first intercollegiate football team since 1951. I played against him in intramurals bball too. One of my finest athletic moments at GU was blocking his shot as he stole the ball from our team and was going in for a layup.
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Post by redskins12820 on Dec 21, 2008 19:54:54 GMT -5
I thought there were problems with any renovation because it was an "historic building." Anyone who decided to preserve the building as "historic" is almost as dumb as the person who ordered it built in the first place. That is, unless it was to be preserved as an example for future generations of what not to build.
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Post by beantownhoya1 on Dec 21, 2008 22:10:44 GMT -5
i'm probably in the minority, but i like it. I think it's kind of imposing and looks like an evil fortress.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Dec 22, 2008 1:17:02 GMT -5
I thought there were problems with any renovation because it was an "historic building." Anyone who decided to preserve the building as "historic" is almost as dumb as the person who ordered it built in the first place. That is, unless it was to be preserved as an example for future generations of what not to build. To my knowledge Lauinger is not designated as "historic" under either local or federal historic preservation law. Typically buildings under 50 years old are not designated unless there are exceptional circumstances. Recently, however, DC preservation activists and officials have demonstrated a growing interest in Modernist and Brutalist architecture. There's a protracted battle over the future of a downtown Brutalist church -- the owners and church want to demolish the structure, but the city and other activists want to preserve the building. Of course, any exterior changes to buildings on Georgetown's campus are subject to review by the Old Georgetown Board, so historic or not any design change to Lauinger will be subject to someone else's purview.
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Post by washingtonhoya on Dec 22, 2008 1:35:11 GMT -5
I've heard that there's some idea in the works, to expand the library, which would include putting a new facade on it. Anyone know anything about that? There are definitely talks going on about the future of the library; Lauinger has a committee discussing its future and how it fits into the University's future vision: The two-sentence version of which is, We want to continue to be a world-class University and produce more scholarly material/research output, especially in areas that GU has not historically been as strong in. The Library must be the centerpiece of developing the scholarly resources necessary to make this happen.* That's what I've heard semi-officially (hey, being a circ desk employee for three years finally paid off for something!) Unofficially, I know there are discussions between Lauinger/University administration (I imagine Artemis Kirk has a significant voice here) and at least one architectural firm that specializes in educational projects. Not sure how advanced these talks are, or if they are focused on solely renovation or expansion, but I would imagine they would be related into the "Future of the Library" discussion mentioned above rather than just putting a new coat of exposed concrete on the building. *This is the rough understanding I have from discussions with some people in the Access Services department at Lauinger who are on the working team.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Dec 22, 2008 3:07:49 GMT -5
That's what I've heard semi-officially (hey, being a circ desk employee for three years finally paid off for something!) Unofficially, I know there are discussions between Lauinger/University administration (I imagine Artemis Kirk has a significant voice here) and at least one architectural firm that specializes in educational projects. Not sure how advanced these talks are, or if they are focused on solely renovation or expansion, but I would imagine they would be related into the "Future of the Library" discussion mentioned above rather than just putting a new coat of exposed concrete on the building. I know that talks have gotten at least as far as informally asking students about it and contacting people who can assess the efficiency of the space used. One of the biggest issues is that people complain that no matter which floor you are one you feel like you are in the basement, and that to solve this, tearing out the graduate study spaces is a pretty sure bet.
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Cambridge
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Post by Cambridge on Dec 22, 2008 9:28:29 GMT -5
That's what I've heard semi-officially (hey, being a circ desk employee for three years finally paid off for something!) Unofficially, I know there are discussions between Lauinger/University administration (I imagine Artemis Kirk has a significant voice here) and at least one architectural firm that specializes in educational projects. Not sure how advanced these talks are, or if they are focused on solely renovation or expansion, but I would imagine they would be related into the "Future of the Library" discussion mentioned above rather than just putting a new coat of exposed concrete on the building. I know that talks have gotten at least as far as informally asking students about it and contacting people who can assess the efficiency of the space used. One of the biggest issues is that people complain that no matter which floor you are one you feel like you are in the basement, and that to solve this, tearing out the graduate study spaces is a pretty sure bet. Not to nitpick, but why would you reduce the resources for graduate students if you wanted to increase the research output of the university? They are the people that churn out the articles that give the university prestige. I understand making the building more aesthetically pleasing, but it makes no sense to reduce the amount of resources available to graduate students to do so - talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
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jgalt
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Post by jgalt on Dec 22, 2008 11:58:25 GMT -5
Not to nitpick, but why would you reduce the resources for graduate students if you wanted to increase the research output of the university? They are the people that churn out the articles that give the university prestige. I understand making the building more aesthetically pleasing, but it makes no sense to reduce the amount of resources available to graduate students to do so - talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. The space would be replaced but in a better way; i wasnt clear, sorry.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Dec 22, 2008 13:25:47 GMT -5
The Friends of the Library are running into the same reality that has bit athletics for two decades--time and open space are not on its side. It could take decades to find the right combination of resources to ever make this happen.
Meanwhile, Georgetown has to be more inventive with what is now a full campus. The library is overstuffed, so here's one idea--move the library to another place on campus (e.g, the ICC or the Med-Dent building) and redevelop the Lauinger footprint for academic use. (That's what they did with Riggs Library, to some extent.) That may not be the perfect answer, but either buildings have to come down or GU needs to use its existing resources more appropriately.
That, or build a new campus outside the Beltway.
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kchoya
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Post by kchoya on Dec 22, 2008 13:29:21 GMT -5
The Friends of the Library are running into the same reality that has bit athletics for two decades--time and open space are not on its side. It could take decades to find the right combination of resources to ever make this happen. Meanwhile, Georgetown has to be more inventive with what is now a full campus. The library is overstuffed, so here's one idea--move the library to another place on campus (e.g, the ICC or the Med-Dent building) and redevelop the Lauinger footprint for academic use. (That's what they did with Riggs Library, to some extent.) That may not be the perfect answer, but either buildings have to come down or GU needs to use its existing resources more appropriately. That, or build a new campus outside the Beltway. If only there were some available space nearby the current campus, preferably space already developed for academic learning and available for a decent price. If only...
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SoCalHoya
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Post by SoCalHoya on Dec 22, 2008 13:53:47 GMT -5
Is it true Lauinger is sinking a bit every year, or is that urban myth? I think that urban myth (or not myth) is tied to Indiana U's library. Not ours. Maybe it's happening to both. After all, DC is a swamp.
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Dec 22, 2008 13:55:18 GMT -5
The Friends of the Library are running into the same reality that has bit athletics for two decades--time and open space are not on its side. It could take decades to find the right combination of resources to ever make this happen. Meanwhile, Georgetown has to be more inventive with what is now a full campus. The library is overstuffed, so here's one idea--move the library to another place on campus (e.g, the ICC or the Med-Dent building) and redevelop the Lauinger footprint for academic use. (That's what they did with Riggs Library, to some extent.) That may not be the perfect answer, but either buildings have to come down or GU needs to use its existing resources more appropriately. That, or build a new campus outside the Beltway. Interesting post. I am wondering what other buildings/areas might be replaced in the name of efficient use of space. I'd say the following areas use space inefficiently (in order of inefficiency): 1. Leavey 2. Reiss (obviously there are plans in the works here) 3. McDonough/Observatory/Yates area (including the tennis courts, which may be the worst use of space on campus -- and I play tennis) 4. Henle
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Post by strummer8526 on Dec 22, 2008 14:24:36 GMT -5
What are the odds that we could stop housing a hotel on campus? I know that it is great for on-campus events, but there are A LOT of hotels in the immediate vicinity. In fact, for Parents Weekend and Graduation, most parents I knew stayed off campus. The conference space in the hotel is useful, but do we really need 15 floors of hotel rooms? If we could get rid of that, we could also get rid of some of the extraneous foot services that are part of the hotel.
Maybe there's a reason that this is a terrible idea, but I just see an on-campus hotel as something that serves very very little in terms of aiding academics, extracurriculars, sports, etc., etc.
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theexorcist
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Post by theexorcist on Dec 22, 2008 14:29:50 GMT -5
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nodak89
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Post by nodak89 on Dec 22, 2008 14:40:44 GMT -5
Must be all the studying their basetball team is doing.
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Bando
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Post by Bando on Dec 22, 2008 17:45:09 GMT -5
Ugh, I do not understand why anyone would want to preserve the architectural travesty that is Brutalism. It's not even really a style, unless you consider "block of concrete" a style. The DC government in particular has turned me off the entire idea of historic preservation. A city is a living thing that changes, there's no reason to ossify it in place. Furthermore, the city seems to think "historic" and "old" are synonyms.
I'd argue the Harbin/Village C imposing concrete "patio" also is a terrible use of space, as well as the Darnall parking lot (parking lots are always inefficient uses of space). I think the university has to get used to the fact that the Georgetown neighborhood isn't suburban anymore, and they have no room to expand. Campus needs to get taller and denser, in order to maximize student space and green space, and they need to run GUTS buses constantly during Metro's operating hours to discourage driving to campus.
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hoyatables
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Post by hoyatables on Dec 22, 2008 18:57:06 GMT -5
Well, it's hard to argue that Georgetown isn't building taller -- all of the recent buildings have been constructed to the height limit (SW Quad, Biz School, Science Center will be too). Good point about Metro shuttles, too.
As for Brutalism, I do tend to agree. The argument of most preservationists seems to be "Brutalism was a failed experiment but we should preserve it because it was an experiment" and I just don't get that. The urban renewal that led to Southwest DC is being largely undone by planned redevelopment in that portion of the city that is destroying the superblocks and bringing active ground floor uses back out to the street. Similarly, Brutalism just sucks and I think that there's no reason to preserve it.
However, I do take issue with your comment about the DC government. DC officials aren't leading or initiating all of the preservation battles - a lot of it is community driven and furthermore it is actually not about preservation in itself but rather the use of it to battle other aspects of a project. DC officials are often caught in the middle and furthermore sometimes various entities within the government end up at odds. It's definitely challenging though!
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Dec 22, 2008 20:45:18 GMT -5
I'd argue the Harbin/Village C imposing concrete "patio" also is a terrible use of space, as well as the Darnall parking lot (parking lots are always inefficient uses of space). I really have no idea re: the feasibility of this, but it seems as if every new project on campus should have underground parking a la the SW Quad (although the layout of that parking garage sucks). Besides money, is there any obstacle to building garages underneath the lots outside Darnall and McDonough and putting buildings above? BTW, campus maps might aid this discussion.
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