UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 36, Page 1
June 30, 1994
State official recognizes UD's historical commitment

     Calling the University's plan for the new student center
"successful from an overall viewpoint," Daniel R. Griffith, director
of the state Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, told
University President David P. Roselle in a June 24 letter that "...the
proposed design is sensitive to its historic setting and the 1872 Old
First Presbyterian Church, given the program requirements developed by
the University."
     The project, Griffith wrote, affects only part of Daugherty Hall
and "leaves intact not only the original church but some eight other
buildings of significance on the block.
     "Given the commitment to this site and the compromises inherent
in planning a project of this scale, the present design is successful
from an overall viewpoint," Griffith said, noting his comments should
be considered in that light and "should be viewed solely as
suggestions for your consideration."
     Griffith reviewed the plans for the new student center after
receiving an invitation from the University and from state Sens. James
P. Neal and Harris B. McDowell III. This review was advisory since the
project is beyond the division's jurisdiction.
     For the review, Griffith was supplied with various materials from
the University, including a schematic design for the $21.3 million
student center, articles about the project and the University's
historic preservation efforts, a chronicle of project development, a
description of the historic properties affected and a narrative of
measures the University has taken to minimize the effects on historic
properties.
     Griffith toured Daugherty Hall, and he also met with the
University's board-appointed Architecture Committee, chaired by
William C. Allen, architectural historian of the U.S. Capitol; Rosell
and other University officials; David Ames, professor of urban affairs
and public policy and director of the Center for Historic Architecture
and Engineering; the renowned project architect Robert Venturi of
Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates; and representatives of the
Coalition to Save Daugherty Hall.
     Following the meeting with Griffith and Venturi, The Architecture
Committee voted to endorse enthusiastically the plans for the student
center.
     There is "no simple or satisfactory way" to incorporate the
Sunday School portion of Daugherty Hall in the new student center
design, Griffith wrote to Roselle, "short of a rethinking of the
entire program for the new student center and a total redesign of the
facility."
     "We recognize the difficult design challenge to construct on this
site a 105,000-square-foot student center with support facilities that
is both responsive to the University's needs and compatible with its
setting in relation to the existing historic buildings and the campus
of which it is a part," he wrote in his letter.
     When looking at the student center project, Griffith employed the
U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties--routine procedure in his office when reviewing
federally assisted projects that affect historic properties. At the
same time, Griffith noted that the University is not bound by these
standards since no federal funds are being used for the project.
     Griffith said the project's goal to restore the original church
to it 19th-century appearance would be an "enhancement" and that the
proposed use of this section as a study lounge "appears compatible
with the architectural quality and significance of the church."
     Griffith added that the removal of the Sunday School wing
"necessarily results in the loss of significant historic materials and
features."
     Noting that the size and scale of the new building make it
difficult to meet the standards with respect to historic character and
scale, he wrote, "The design has taken the size issue into
consideration and, given the commitment to this site, has mitigated
somewhat the adverse affect."
     The student center design meets the third standard with "a clear
visual distinction between the new construction and the remaining
portion of the Old First Presbyterian Church," Griffith said.
     "The project as proposed, new construction adjacent and attached
to the historic Old First Presbyterian Church, satisfies significant
elements of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards," Griffith
wrote. "The restoration and adaptive reuse of the 1872 church
preserves a significant historic feature. Additionally, the design of
the new student center makes a clear distinction between the old and
the new. The student center is attached to the church in such a way as
to emphasize the historical architecture of the church and permits a
clear view of its primary elevations."
     Griffith also recommended certain efforts that could be taken to
minimize the visual effects of the new construction.
     He said that the church should appear, as much as possible, to be
freestanding. He also said care should be taken with the restoration
of the 1972 portion of the church, in terms of replacement of
stonework, cleaning of the masonry and preservation of the fabric of
the interior, such as plaster walls, ceilings and detail, wood trim,
windows and fixtures. It was noted that certain of these suggestions
were already incorporated in the planning for the project.
     Construction has already begun on a four-story parking garage at
the site as part of this project.