Walking Tour 3 - The Main and Engineering Quads

1/27/15

            Today we toured the main and engineering quads. We started the tour on the steps of Foellinger Auditorium. As we looked down the main quad, it was clear that it was built with the concept of collective building in mind. Though many of the buildings had been erected at different times from one another, they shared similar appearances. They are all made out of a reddish stone. They all have lighter colored stone accents. They also all have a common edge with the buildings around them. They are all around the same height and width. This helps give a unified and symmetrical feeling to the quad.

            Foellinger is a very important building on the quad. Sitting directly on the main axis, it commands the attention and reverence of all who walk down the quad. Its domed shape echoes that of the Pantheon, after which it was modeled. The dome itself is important because, in American culture, the dome has been associated with democracy. All of these things lend themselves to making Foellinger a fantastic place to hold large lectures of the students that make up the university or the put important speakers.

            The Union is another important building on the quad. It was originally intended to be in the shape of a block I, however, Harker Hall was blocking one of the pavilions. This building is one of the oldest on campus and was designed by U of I’s first architect, then director. For this reason, it was allowed to remain, and the Union’s original design was never fully realized.

            This takes us to the end of the quad. Here, we notice a shift in the axis. This was to account for the buildings that were already in existence when the Engineering quad was set up. They couldn’t continue the main axis, as it would run through part of Engineering Hall, so they shifted the axis over. Grainger takes on a curved shape so, as you approach it, it seems to be hugging the quad, encompassing it a little, to make up for the awkward shape of the quad.

            The northern most part of the Engineering quad shifts back to the main axis. They do this by having a local entrance to Grainger on the south end and the Beckman Institute at the north end. The Beckman Institute was designed with the intention of being a style that could be echoed around the quad or even the campus. Here, they fell short because the design was focused around a rather phallic like shape, which was difficult to replicate for a few reasons. There wasn’t much else characteristic about the design other than the shape of the outside. Beckman also acts as a wall that closes off the north of campus. This is an interesting look into how architecture is intertwined with the environment and society itself. While the top of campus could be a great place to put an entrance to the university, Beckman offers no admittance to a place that is intended to be a shrine to learning and wisdom. Therefore, the blocking out of the community speaks poorly about the mentality of the university.