Vision for campus unveiled

View an interactive map of the proposed changes to the Evanston campus by clicking on the image above.

The plan calls for the removal and relocation of many buildings on the Evanston campus. It would add more than 7 million square feet of building space in the next 50 years, particularly on North Campus.

The construction would create a "pedestrian-friendly campus" with better access to views of Lake Michigan, said communication studies professor James Webster, a member of the Evanston Campus Planning Advisory Committee.

The plan calls for filling in and reshaping part of the Lagoon, the cooling pond inside the Lakefill between Norris University Center and the Allen Center, to create more land to build - a plan that has been controversial in the past.

Webster said the university, constrained by the lake and by Evanston, needs to find room to grow within its boundaries.

"We are running out of space," he said. "There just aren't all that many places to locate new buildings. And once a building is there, it's probably going to be there for (a while). You can't undo mistakes, which I think makes this all the more pressing."

But Webster cautioned against viewing the plan, meant to be long-term, as too prescriptive. There was no discussion of a fundraising campaign to realize the vision. Buildings would be built one at a time, and would depend on donor giving, endowments and the economy, he said.

"If this plan is realized, it could create a very lovely campus," he said. "There's a big 'if' there."

TEARING DOWN, BUILDING UP

The plan, developed by the advisory committee and consulting firm Sasaki Associates, calls for major construction projects, including new residence halls and academic buildings for engineering and the social sciences. It also would tear down several well-known campus buildings: the Rebecca Crown Center, the Allen Center, Foster-Walker Complex and Bobb and McCulloch Halls.

Other residence halls would also be torn down, including Sargent Hall, the Communications Residential College, the International Studies Residential College, Chapin Hall and four fraternities: Chi Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Theta Chi and Zeta Beta Tau. They would be replaced by modernized residence halls.

Norris and the University Library would most likely stay where they are. Parking would be moved to the edges of campus and underground lots.

The southern edge of campus would be better integrated with Evanston, including a new athletic facility and residential and retail space.

Though it is uncertain if the university will adopt the plans, it is important for the building process to include all students and community members, Webster said. The committee will hold open presentations on the framework starting next week.

"The plan is intended to, I think, encourage comment from students and faculty members and ultimately members of the Evanston community," Webster said.

NU presented advanced copies of the framework to Evanston aldermen Cheryl Wollin (1st) and Elizabeth Tisdahl (7th), who represent campus areas, and also met with city officials to discuss zoning laws. Wollin and Tisdahl did not return calls for comment Wednesday night.

SOME PARTS OF PLAN FAMILIAR

NU has had long-range construction plans before, going as far back as the 1920s, when the Chicago campus was built. Most of them did not succeed, Webster said.

"It's not that the university historically had various kinds of campus plans," he said. "Most of them just didn't seem realistic … There hasn't been that kind of holistic approach."

Parts of this plan have been announced in the past. A proposal to fill in one-fifth of the lagoon proved controversial when it was announced in 2002. After outcry from students and alumni, the project was tabled and committees formed to discuss long-range planning.

"They didn't do it in a very politic way, even if it might have been a good idea," Webster said. "So, there was a dust-up and as a consequence, they put the brakes on that project and thought they should think about campus planning a little more deliberately."

Another part of the plan, for the area surrounding Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and the new School of Music building, was revealed in 2005 to a warmer reception.

The current announcement's timing, at the beginning of NU President Henry Bienen's final year heading the university, is coincidental, he said.

The committee's framework is designed to be flexible and will take several years to realize, Webster added.

"This may not happen for 30, 40, 50 years, but at least we have an idea of where we ought to be going," Webster said.

The full campus might not take shape until current students are in their 70s. And in the end, Webster said, it will require more than a committee or a president to commit to the idea, he said.

"Ideally, it's something that gets lodged in the consciousness of the university community," he said. "There's plenty of elbow room. It's not a straitjacket."

nathalietadena2007@u.northwestern.edu y-chaey@northwestern.edu