On November 3rd and 4th, the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) conducted the Campus Heritage Symposium to reflect on years of study funded by the ambitious Campus Heritage Initiative grant program of the Getty Foundation. (Quinn Evans Architects prepared the Cultural Landscape Report for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.) Dozens of presentations illustrated the tremendous diversity of campuses, from cloistered enclaves for a few hundred to sprawling complexes for tens of thousands, from Collegiate Gothic and Colonial traditions to icons of 20th century innovation.
In the main, these campus heritage studies adopted the principles and practices of historic preservation, documenting periods of significance and the integrity of resources in the present day. While buildings played an important role, most of the studies broadened their view to encompass the campus setting, whether placid quadrangle or pulsating cityscape. The integration of landscape and urbanscape into the assessment of campus heritage was, perhaps, the most significant contribution the Getty program made.
By promoting the study of campus heritage, the Getty Foundation also awakened interest in understanding the cultural value of campuses. Clearly, cultural value has meaning on campus in how the university community defines itself through the physical environment of the academic institution. Strong associations with the most memorable campus landscapes and iconic buildings are the most obvious example. In a broader sense, the Getty study also raises the question of what this class of special places means to our society at large. In today’s era of web-based instruction, distance learning, and continuing education, will campuses retain their value? Will the commitment of substantial resources be sustained to support these hallowed college and university precincts?
By studying campus heritage, the Getty Foundation initiated a very extensive conversation about how the value of college and university campuses was established over more than two centuries and today’s perceptions of that legacy. To better understand the future, this inquiry needs to continue. I would start by asking: how does campus heritage intersect with campus sustainability?
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