Page 27 - College Planning & Management, April 2017

stucco wings and “a bad infill center,” ac- cording to Lenox. The infill was replaced with a contemporary box that features curtain walls to expose and celebrate the older materials. “It was a way to update the building, keep the defining characteristics and infuse modern qualities.”
The Old Chem building, one of the origi- nal Stanford Noble buildings, offers another example. The structure sat idle, mothballed after an earthquake toppled its 39 chim- neys. Stanford could have replaced it, but
a large donation allowed a renovation that blends the classic architecture with modern elements. After gutting the building, the school interwove classic, defining elements like wood wainscoting and wrought-iron railings with modern interventions like a curved glass lobby. “It’s a powerful reminder of our history but will still work for the students of tomorrow,” says Lenox.
THIS ONE’S A KEEPER. The National Register of Historic Places recommends that when deteriorated, damaged or lost features of a historic building need repair or replacement, it is almost always best to use historic materials. For a college or university, care must be taken to do so while finding the balance between preserving a historic facility and also updating it with today’s energy and sustainability standards as well as contemporary aesthetics.
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