[PeterParker]

Just my $.02:

I'm sure this will elicit some typical responses from both sides of the kool-aid aisle, but I just received an alumni giving solicitation for a $2 Million addition onto the BR Lakin building touting Jeffersonian architecture...at the risk of being blasted by the usual party line posters, I am disappointed in this news for a couple of reasons:

First, instead of eliminating the building, they are adding onto it. IMO, it is in the way of any meaningful road expansion to ease the traffic flow in light of the DeMoss Building Renovation, plus they can't go more than one floor without obstructing the DeMoss building...it just seems like it would be better to eliminate it and either grass it over to the highway or use that area for road expansion. (Put a new one over where the circle dorms are or something...or use some of that unused space in DeMoss or Ericsson until they can build a new well thought out building if they must.)

Second, I am a little weary of the Jeffersonian tag being bandied about, when, in reality, what the deicision makers consider Jeffersonian is nothing more than a cream-colored border slapped up around the top of a building with a front mod piece attached. Just be a realist with the description of it (The brochure I have shows the picture of the existing building with this, but the 70's influenced community college building-style windows are still left in as is (decidedly not Jeffersonian.)

I suppose UVA can breathe a little easier about losing any campus architecture/aesthetics contests any time soon. All that being said, still Go Flames!

LINK: http://www.liberty.edu/development/alum ... ?PID=12035

[SuperJon]

I've walk past the picture of this every MWF. I actually agree with you. We need a VP of Common Sense.

[ATrain]

Uhh, did anyone notice that we're linked to on the sidebar of the Alumni page?

[thepostman]

oh wow...thats crazy, i didn't think the school would ever endorse a non-adminstration run message board

I remember when i was taking NT with Towns about a year ago or so, he talked about having a dream in which they added onto the religion hall and it has some state of the art big classroom or something, so I am guessing this comes from that dream or something....

[Sly Fox]

Uhh, did anyone notice that we're linked to on the sidebar of the Alumni page?

We've actually been on there for quite some time now. Its how many of the newfound Old Hags have stumbled across our little corner of the net.

[PAmedic]

Agree 100%, SPIDEY.

nothing against Mr Lakin- but- TEAR IT DOWN.

build something somewhere else or give them their own wing/floor/hall in DeMoss.

there should be a comprehensive OVERALL development plan for campus, not this "update it piecemeal" practice. Maybe there is, but no one has consulted ME

[El Scorcho]

Here's the one problem I have with it...

Are you ready? Brace yourselves.

If that picture is accurate, and they expand that building out on both sides, does anyone realize what they'd have to give up to do it?

Parking. On both sides. Not to mention it's sitting at the bottom of a ten foot hill on the high side.

[thepostman]

yeah, its a terrible idea, but since towns had this dream they are going foward with it i guess. I am dead serious about this dream though, he talked about it for 10 minutes in class when I had him like a year ago, he was so excited about it.

All alumni should send their packets back with a letter explaining why its a bad idea and maybe if they get enough they will re-think this whole thing, but for some reason I don't think that will happen.

[PAmedic]

never consulted us before, either- they just need us to help pay for it!

[TallyW]

I got a sense that Jerry Jr has a handle on the future of LU. I don't think he'd overlook the future for the sake of keeping people happy right now. I'm in the camp of letting those in the board room make decisions unless they are potentially destructive decisions... I can't see how this is destructive. Also in the grand scheme of things 2 million isn't much money for a University to spend on updating educational space. As for parking I think in the long term we're going to need more than potentially 100-200 spaces that may be affected. I got a feeling things will be just fine. Besides, we've already talked before on this board about the low percentages of LU Alum who actually give back and I'm certain its in the single digits how many alum give back enough money to make a dent in the plans. I don't personally think this is worth getting up-in-arms over.

If we don't like the idea, we all own a trash can.

[A.G.]

This should make everyone see red, as well:
http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... ws!archive

(Written by the "official" media minion:)

Painting shades of red at LU

Ron Brown
rbrown@newsadvance.com
September 29, 2006

Passersby will see Liberty University’s campus a shade differently over the next several months.

The university is in the process of changing its tan brick buildings to red.

The change of color is credited to a masonry stain.

School officials hope the new color scheme for the tan buildings will bring a cohesive look to the school’s main campus, which is now a hodgepodge of different brick colors.

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, the school’s co-founder and chancellor, said he hopes the facelift will enhance the university’s Jeffersonian motif.

“I have always been a lover of Jeffersonian architecture,” Falwell said. “An essential part of Jeffersonian architecture is red brick. In the early days of Liberty, with very little money, we weren’t very interested in any motif. We were just trying to get up some inexpensive buildings to accommodate the students that were coming to us.”

In later years, the school started building nicer buildings like the DeMoss Learning Center, which has a Jeffersonian façade and is constructed with red brick.

The school decided on staining the brick after receiving some advice from a building contractor.

“Looking at the first building, I cannot believe how realistic it looks,” Falwell said. “We’re very happy with it.”

The staining project began about two weeks ago.

“We got some quotes, we looked at it and the contractor did a little test for us. We liked it and started proceeding,” said S. Lee Beaumont, the school’s director of auxiliary services.

Beaumont said about 15 buildings on the campus are scheduled to be stained.

The first building getting stained is Jewett Hall, commonly known as Dorm 17.

“There will be some academic buildings too,” Beaumont said. “It will probably take several months.”

As long as temperatures remain above freezing, the stain can be applied.

“We should be able to keep pushing on this,” Beaumont said.

The buildings that are being stained were built between 1980 and 1982, said Richard A. Martin, LU’s director of financial research and analysis.

“We have a lot of buildings on campus,” he said. “Some are more worn than the others. The ones we are working on are some of the most visible.”

Mark Allen of Brick Magic Masonry Staining, an Emporia firm, has been doing staining for about 15 years.

“Most of my work has been in Richmond and North Carolina,” he said. “I’ve done a little bit around Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Normally, it’s just me. I have a couple of people who help me sometimes.”

The LU job is one of his biggest projects.

“It’s not a paint, it’s a penetrating stain,” he said. “It penetrates the brick and it won’t come off. In this building, we didn’t want to stain the mortar, so we’re doing it brick by brick.”

He keeps his focus by concentrating on a series of 2-foot-by-2-foot areas until the whole building is done.

“Initially, we don’t look at the whole building,” he said. “We just focus on the spot we’re working on.”

[Libertine]

Dorm 17 has a name?!

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

Just a brief humorous comment - past LU architecture wasn't Jeffersonian because Jefferson meant for his to last for the ages which it has. I call the original LU style "Rapture" architecture: We might be leavn' here any minute and why leave behind good stuff. (of course this is all in jest - I think - no really it is).

BTW Jefferson also forgot to include acerage for parking - do you know what its like having a town and university designed for 18th century transportation meet 21st transportation and traffic? To top that situation off the city (and its residents) now stage a fight to the death over every attempt to deal with the problems. NO BYPASSES, NO PARKING GARAGES!!!! LU needs to use some of its property for a parking garage(s). Charge an arm and a leg like UVA does to use it, thus, paying it off quickly and then make a neat little profit from it annually.

[nickrichard]

Ok, I want to ask a question. Hve they completed the 3rd and 4th floors of DeMoss yet? I know awhile ago there were plans to finish it, but has it been dont yet? If not, why are we using 2 million to add on to another building. Wouldn't it be wiser to use that money, finsish the DeMoss (if in fact it is not done) and keep Lakin the same?

[FlamingYalieWahoo]

Just my $.02:

"Second, I am a little weary of the Jeffersonian tag being bandied about, when, in reality, what the deicision makers consider Jeffersonian is nothing more than a cream-colored border slapped up around the top of a building with a front mod piece attached."

Peter - you left out THE most important aspect of Jeffersonian architecture - which is what the newspaper article (posted after your comments) above is all about - RED BRICK!!! followed by white columns, domes, false windows, and octagonal shapes everywhere! It also helps if Mr. Jefferson drew up the original plans and if he was there to supervise.

[PeterParker]

Wahoo, that's funny.

As a side note, I like the idea of Jeffersonian architecture--just impartial to the real thing. Also, I'm partial to having a comprehensive professional site development plan, instead of piecemeal pragmatism.

Maybe it's time to get that master's degree from another school so as not to have to worry about LU's good or bad institutional development decisions.

[mrmacphisto]

I think LU's buildings (and the new Thomas Road) are fake-looking and just plain ugly. I know that's negative and probably serves no purpose, but I was driving past RMWC earlier today and, as I am prone to do when I drive past any campus that isn't LU, I thought about how ugly our campus really is.

With that out of the way, there's no law that says they can't tear down the existing Religion hall and put up a new one with B.R. Lakin's memory still intact. After all, the new TRBC sports a Pate chapel.

I think a fun drinking game could involve Jerry using the word Jeffersonian.

[El Scorcho]

As a side note, I like the idea of Jeffersonian architecture--just impartial to the real thing. Also, impartial to having a comprehensive professional site development plan, instead of piecemeal pragmatism.

I think you mean partial, not impartial. Then again, what do I kow? I'm an LU grad.

[qkslvrsrfrboy]

i heard, and it wouldnt be surprised if its actually true, that when they built demoss they went with a cheaper contractor of a few who didnt build a good enough foundation and they cant use the upper two floors of demoss.

[A.G.]

I think you may be mistaken. The reason they have not started working on the rest of DeMoss is the gift of the Ericsson building made earlier expansion possible. To my knowledge (of course, what do I know, I'm an LU grad, too), plans are still in place to expand to DeMoss--as soon as the on campus population grows a little more.

[Sly Fox]

AG's description fits best with the facts I'm familiar with at the present. With real estate on the main campus at a premium, it makes sense to involve future expnasion inside that facility. But North Campus alleviated the concerns that had us expanding DeMoss in the first place.

[PeterParker]

Yep, a mistype, should be "I'm partial."

[thepostman]

there are so many rumors about the top 2 floors of demoss about why they aren't used and i found out this summer while working at liberty that none of them are true. There are plans to use the top 2 floors, they whole campus north thing has slowed it down, they want that building cleaned up inside, the plans from what I understand are to start on the top two floors of demoss within 2 years....they want to put some nice classrooms for the communications department up there, like studios and such as well as add a third floor to the computer lab and maybe even a food court, but the food court thing is doubtful, but it has been talked about...anyways thats the news on that....of course that could always change because this is liberty where they change their minds all the time and decide theme parks and letters on the mountain are more important then the school buildings.....

[El Scorcho]

I think you may be mistaken. The reason they have not started working on the rest of DeMoss is the gift of the Ericsson building made earlier expansion possible. To my knowledge (of course, what do I know, I'm an LU grad, too), plans are still in place to expand to DeMoss--as soon as the on campus population grows a little more.

That's as accurate as it gets, folks.

[nickrichard]

To me it just makes more sense to spend the money to finish the top 2 floors of DeMoss before you add onto another building. I do not know how the financial breakdown would go, but if you were to spend the money on DeMoss, move religion over there, you would be gaining much more space for the money. Maybe I am wrong on the breakdown, but from a layperson, it sounds like this would be a better course of action.