UNC-Charlotte Construction

[AuLukey]

It's amazing how much the campus has grown since then. The number of buildings has probably doubled since that picture was taken. I mean, look how small CMCU looks off in the distance.

[Skyline49er]

It's amazing how much the campus has grown since then. The number of buildings has probably doubled since that picture was taken. I mean, look how small CMCU looks off in the distance.

I would guess that the picture was taken 10 years ago, seeing that the SAC is just nearing completion and Fretwell looks to be brand new (opened in 95). But, there is no Cato Hall, no Robinson Hall and of course no Woodward Hall. This makes me wonder what campus will look like in 2016.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

Lets see what's been added since:

Cato

Robinson

Woodward

College of Education

Health and Human Services

Cameron Applied Research

Those two research campus buildings

Squires hall

Cypress Hall

Witherspoon Hall

Alumni Center

New Health center

New Facilities Management

Parking Decks

and I've probably missed something. Indeed the difference will be great between now and 2016.

Edited October 19, 2006 by moonshield

[DigitalSky]

I really like the look of some of the new buildings the campus is getting

[monsoon]

That shows the library before the horrendous recladding they performed on it at the end of the 20th century. You can also see the old Charlotte garbage incineration plant where they generated electricity by burning garbage off in the distance. The smoke stack gives it away. The Promenade strip mall sits there today.

[AuLukey]

That shows the library before the horrendous recladding they performed on it at the end of the 20th century. You can also see the old Charlotte garbage incineration plant where they generated electricity by burning garbage off in the distance. The smoke stack gives it away. The Promenade strip mall sits there today.

Man... it's too bad they got rid of that!

I can't wait to come back to the campus after I graduate and see all the growth around the campus, the light rail station (very excited to see how they'll tie that and the line into the campus,) and the growth of CRI. And hey, maybe even a stadium (i'm talkin a decade from now.)

[Skyline49er]

That shows the library before the horrendous recladding they performed on it at the end of the 20th century. You can also see the old Charlotte garbage incineration plant where they generated electricity by burning garbage off in the distance. The smoke stack gives it away. The Promenade strip mall sits there today.

I was wondering what that was

[AuLukey]

I was wondering what that was

They still have a huge wall-sized poster in the financial aid office of campus back around the same time this picture was taken, although I'm not sure Fretwell was in it. It's got the library pre-cladding on it. That's when I learned Atkins wasn't always "brick." Oh and hey moonshield, you forgot the new Chancellor's Residence in all its overdone glory.

Also on the list of new buildings, in renovating the tower, they also doubled the size of the bottom four floors of the library out towards the SAC.

It's amazing to me how much greenspace there was back then in University.

I also just noticed you can see how uptown looked back in 95 in the upper left hand corner. It's actually close to the same as now (minus Trademark, Hearst, and Three Wachovia.)

Edited October 23, 2006 by aussie luke

[AuLukey]

Well, speaking of all that has changed at the University, with good news always comes the bad news.

And article by NinerOnline states that construction of the new entrance will be split into two phases and will not start construction until summer 07 (after already having been pushed back to winter 06-07.) Funding for both phases is still up in the air. The entrance is supposed to increase both safety and "to add a more dignified look to the front of UNCC."

link

Here are a couple renderings I hadn't seen before, credit of UNCC Facilities Management:

[peaceloveunderstanding]

So they still plan on knocking down the projects, I mean, high-rise dorms? That in itself will improve visual appeal substantially.

[Miesian Corners]

^They can't tear them down until they have the funding to build replacement housing. Hell, I don't see why they can't simply give them the standard UNC Charlotte treatment and brick them up. That apparently solves all problems at our fair school.

[AuLukey]

You know, I like the high rises the same way I like the styling of the old library in comparison to the new one. I mean sure, they are worn down and unsafe, but they do give the university some prominence from a distance. If they are torn down, they are sure to be replaced with more traditionally styled dorms that are five stories tall at best. While I'm not hoping for new high rises, I like the variety they bring to the university. Many NC college campus dorms aren't nearly as "big" as those high rises. But that depends on your definition of big.

[monsoon]

What is unsafe about these buildings?

[AuLukey]

I can't remember where I first heard/read this outside of friends, but there was some sort of issue addressed by the university a year or two ago about the safety of the buildings in comparison to their other dorms on campus. It was brought up by an angry parent who's child was assigned to live in one of the high rises rather that one of the newer dorms on the north side of campus. I forget the exact issues of safety that the parent had, but I believe it had to do with either building materials and/or the safety of sleeping in a "high rise" building rather than in a three or four story dorm. They did prove sometime that year that student response time for fire drills was notably lower in the shorter dorms. Duh. I don't believe anything ever came of this 'problem.' I just remember it being an issue with some of my friends at the time that lived in them, I didn't live on campus, so I never payed it much attention.

If anybody else knows how it went down better, feel free to critique me.

Edited October 24, 2006 by aussie luke

[Miesian Corners]

^I've never heard they were "unsafe". UMASS Amherst has five dorms over 20 stories each, so I doubt height has anything to do with safety.

The upkeep of the structures could make them unsafe (poor maintenance of elevators, windows, sprinkler systems, etc), but no more so than any other building on campus.

[monsoon]

I used to live on the 9th floor of Moore dorm and while that was more than 20 years ago, I never felt they were unsafe places to be. I admit that I never remember having a fire drill then, but I do seem to remember there were escape stair wells on the corners of the building. Since the buildings are almost 100% concrete, I don't see where there could be a fire that would take down one of these buildings. Given the design, I think any fires wouild be limited to two floors.

Now there is nothing to stop people from jumping out of their windows to their death, and that happened once when I lived there.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

I lived on the 3rd floor of Holshouser last year, and there was little that was unsafe about the buildings. The problem was that they were very dumpy compared to, say, Squires Hall. Maybe that's just a product of their age - but I think the brutalist architecture nonsense had a big play in thier ugliness and unappealing nature. From what I recall, the upkeep was fine.

As for the jumpers, no one jumped during my stay, but if someone is so intent on killing themselves - they will find a way. It would be rather difficult to fall out of one of those towers by accident.

Edited October 24, 2006 by moonshield

[monsoon]

Yeah, the names of these buildings are not the original names for them. An older person that returned to do some graduate work when I was there referred to Holshouser simply as "73". Presumably this is the year it was constructed so it is pretty old.

In a similar fashion the apartments used to be known as Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III. The ones I lived in, Phase I, were later renamed Governer Hunt Village, I believe. I don't know what the others were named and if this type of naming system persists today.

[atlrvr]

Phase III I believe is still the only one still known by that naming system....though it has the enduring nickname of "smurf village"

Edited October 24, 2006 by atlrvr

[AuLukey]

Phase III I believe is still the only one still known by that naming system....though it has the enduring nickname of "smurf village"

Yea, good ol' smurf village. I have a lot of memories from there... that I'm still trying to remember.

And I agree with everyone's thoughts that the highrises are safe. It was just that "unsafe" notion that people had back then as probably an excuse. That's why I should refer to them as "less safe." While I don't have friends that live in them now, I do hear complaints about drills more frequently from students that live in them than those in Squires and such. I've never seen anything wrong with the towers except for age, but I have often heard they plan to tear down the towers in the "Master Plan." I just figured that towers are harder to renovate than shorter dorms. But I'm not basing that on any fact, just a thought.

I know they have renovated a couple of the floors since I started school here over the last few summers. If they are indeed from the 70's, I can understand why they are now looking to tear down an old investment, seems to be a pretty common trend in Charlotte these days.

[monsoon]

All 4 towers were definately there in 1979, when I first drove by that school, and its my guess they were probably close to 10 years old by then. Moore and Sanford were the oldest, and were segregated by gender when I went there. Holshouser and the other one (I don't remember the name) was co-ed in those days.

[Miesian Corners]

Off topic, but of all the days not to have my camera on campus! A giant inflatable male "member" is currently standing (kind of waving, actually) tall and proud next to the Belk Tower. Not sure as to why its there, but it certainly makes the campus more interesting. Didn't see an inflatable set of breasts or hoo ha, but maybe they'll show up tomorrow.

[Skyline49er]

I never found Moore Hall to be unsafe while I lived there, except for the occasional elevator breaking down and people getting stuck in it. It sure was an experience though. I heard that they wanted to tear down the high rises and put more dorms closer to the academic buildings as the center of campus is shifting from the Belk tower to the SAC, new health building and Woodward Hall. But that is just what I heard.

Anyway, the other highrise that metro forgot is Scott Hall.

[AuLukey]

Off topic, but of all the days not to have my camera on campus! A giant inflatable male "member" is currently standing (kind of waving, actually) tall and proud next to the Belk Tower. Not sure as to why its there, but it certainly makes the campus more interesting. Didn't see an inflatable set of breasts or hoo ha, but maybe they'll show up tomorrow.

You have no idea how well that describes my feelings too. I wished so hard that i had my camera so I could put it up on here. You would think they would have thought through the design of that thing a little better. I think you're right, the hoo ha is due to be placed next to the Belk Tower. I'd say somewhere else, but that wouldn't be within the rules here.

And yes, Skyline49er, they are still planning to tear them down... eventually. I wish they wouldn't, I really like them. Sure they need some work done, especially to the shafts, but they have more character than the other dorms on campus.

[monsoon]

This must be some kind of tradition as when I went to school there, they put two giant inflatable balls on either side of the Belk tower and got creative with some hay.