CJ Day
As the University of Wyoming moves forward with its newest wave of construction, some people on and off campus have raised concerns about the university’s plan to destroy historic buildings to make way for new development.
As the University of Wyoming moves forward with its newest wave of construction, some people on and off campus have raised concerns about the university’s plan to destroy historic buildings to make way for new development.
While the university does have the Historic Preservation Plan, a document drafted in 2015 by the Board of Trustees to ensure that historic elements of the campus are protected, detractors say that it is ignored more often than not.
“It’s a good plan, when the university bothers to follow it,” said Rin Kasckow, the executive director of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, a state-wide non-profit dedicated to protecting the state’s historic sites.
“This plan has not been used to its full potential. We’ve got this document that defines what the personality of this campus is, and by not using it, we’re ignoring that part of our community,” he said.
This summer, Kasckow worked with faculty and staff to save the Cooper House, which was slated for demolition under a former draft of the Campus Master Plan. The newest draft of the plan targets Wyoming Hall, originally built in 1949 as a residence hall, which now serves as offices for many of UW’s student services. The current draft of the plan would see the hall torn down to make way for a more modern residence hall. Wyoming Hall is explicitly noted in the Historic Preservation Plan as a historically significant building, with the plan noting its unique facade and intricate stonework.
“Wyoming Hall might not be as visually interesting or iconic as some of the other buildings on campus, but it’s got just as much history, and is just as worthy of being preserved,” said Kaschow. “It’s got this unique mid-century modern facade that marks it as both a building of the university and of something of itself, so it’s going to be hard to see this one go.”
Other community members, however, are less sentimental about the demolitions coming to campus. Laramie Mayor Joel Shumway helped draft the Historic Preservation Plan. He said that the intent of the plan has got twisted since 2015 and wanted to set the record straight.
“Most of the historic buildings, they’re not on target for being removed,” Shumway said. “When the University is making these changes, they are respecting the look of the campus, they just want it to look a bit more modern.”
Updating the campus by knocking down old buildings and building new development is crucial for the University to continue growing and for Laramie to continue growing with it, Shumway said. Shumway said he is reluctant to encourage the University to buy more land and displace Laramie residents, so he would like to see the land UW already owns better utilized.
“A lot of these historic buildings, they weren’t built to last 100 years. When buildings have a real history, like Old Main and the Cooper Mansion, it’s good that they’re being protected. It’s not a wholesale tearing down of old buildings and putting up new.”
Moving forward, it is still unclear what various groups plan to do, if anything, to preserve Wyoming Hall.
“We’re still playing a waiting game here. The draft Campus Master Plan still hasn’t been finalized, so we’re still unsure of what’s actually going to happen,” said Kaschow.
Regardless of what happens, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming will continue trying to protect the historic elements of campus.
“Of course we need space, but we can be a lot more strategic in how space is utilized,” said Kaschow. “The UW campus is so integral to Laramie and to the state as a whole that it needs to be properly protected.”
While the university does have the Historic Preservation Plan, a document drafted in 2015 by the Board of Trustees to ensure that historic elements of the campus are protected, detractors say that it is ignored more often than not.
“It’s a good plan, when the university bothers to follow it,” said Rin Kasckow, the executive director of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, a state-wide non-profit dedicated to protecting the state’s historic sites.
“This plan has not been used to its full potential. We’ve got this document
that defines what the personality of this campus is, and by not using it, we’re
ignoring that part of our community,” he said.
This summer, Kasckow worked with faculty and staff to save the Cooper House, which was slated for demolition under a former draft of the Campus Master Plan. The newest draft of the plan targets Wyoming Hall, originally built in 1949 as a residence hall, which now serves as offices for many of UW’s student services. The current draft of the plan would see the hall torn down to make way for a more modern residence hall. Wyoming Hall is explicitly noted in the Historic Preservation Plan as a historically significant building, with the plan noting its unique facade and intricate stonework.
“Wyoming Hall might not be as visually interesting or iconic as some of the other buildings on campus, but it’s got just as much history, and is just as worthy of being preserved,” said Kaschow. “It’s got this unique mid-century modern facade that marks it as both a building of the university and of something of itself, so it’s going to be hard to see this one go.”
Other community members, however, are less sentimental about the demolitions coming to campus. Laramie Mayor Joel Shumway helped draft the Historic Preservation Plan. He said that the intent of the plan has got twisted since 2015 and wanted to set the record straight.
“Most of the historic buildings, they’re not on target for being removed,”
Shumway said. “When the University is
making these changes, they are respecting the look of the campus, they just
want it to look a bit more modern.”
Updating the campus by knocking down old buildings and building new development
is crucial for the University to continue growing and for Laramie to continue
growing with it, Shumway said. Shumway said he is reluctant to encourage the
University to buy more land and displace Laramie residents, so he would like to
see the land UW already owns better utilized.
“A lot of these historic buildings, they weren’t built to last 100 years. When buildings have a real history, like Old Main and the Cooper Mansion, it’s good that they’re being protected. It’s not a wholesale tearing down of old buildings and putting up new.”
Moving forward, it is still unclear what various groups plan to do, if anything, to preserve Wyoming Hall.
“We’re still playing a waiting game here. The draft Campus Master Plan still hasn’t been finalized, so we’re still unsure of what’s actually going to happen,” said Kaschow.
Regardless of what happens, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming will continue trying to protect the historic elements of campus.
“Of course we need space, but we can be a lot more strategic in how space is utilized,” said Kaschow. “The UW campus is so integral to Laramie and to the state as a whole that it needs to be properly protected.”
