University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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North Campus Emerging out of the woods mong the tall oaks and evergreens lies a part of the University of Michigan that is quite out of the way, North Campus. This strange place, accessible to most only by bus, present- ly plays a crucial role in the development of the Univer- sity and will continue to do so in the future. Back in the late 1940s, col- leges and universities across the country were flooded with new students. The reason for this explosive growth was directly related to the end of World War II. With the fighting behind them, millions of American servicemen, with the help of the GI Bill, decided to pick up their college careers that the war had interrupted. Universities with huge tracts of land at their dispos- al, such as Michigan State and Cornell University, could expand easily. However, the University of Michigan, locked in the cen- ter of Ann Arbor, found it- self in a severe bind. We basically had three choices, said University planner Fred Meyer. The first option was to simply not keep pace with growth, which the University found unacceptable. Secondly, we could have bought large parcels of land in downtown Ann Arbor, but it would have been at a prohibitive cost. One last option entailed buying land outside of Central Campus to set up an alternative campus. Accept- ing the last idea, the regents approved the creation of a northern campus. U-M started purchasing property in 1949 and contin- ued into the 1960s. Today, the University is still in the real estate business and is attempting to buy parcels of land that would contribute to North Campus ' growth. North Campus has grown to encompass over 865 acres over its nearly 40-year history. All the new land on North Campus gave U-M the luxu- ry of having space for ever- expanding scientific facilities, and entire schools and col- leges began migrating to the new lands. The School of Music be- came the first school to move to North Campus when its building was com- pleted in 1964. The next schools to follow were the College of Architecture and Urban Planning and the School of Art which occu- pied combined facilities in 1974, stated Meyer. The fourth and by far the biggest school to make the transition to North Campus was the College of Engineering, and this move vastly increased the importance of North Campus to U-M. CONTINUED STUDENTS WAIT IN THE CRISP LINE outside the Chrysler Center to schedule for classes. AN EERIE BLUE GLOW ema- nates from the Ford Reactor located in the Phoenix Lab on North Campus. 14 4 NORTH CAMPUS

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In each of four successfully developed districts, parking lots were removed and roads were blocked off to construct plazas with foun- tains and artwork, such as the Regents Plaza. Each district now houses one large parking structure from which visitors can walk to Central Campus. The plan, entitled pedestrianization, emphasizes walking to all areas of campus and downplays the use of inter- nal roads, such as N. Ingalls or Monroe Street. The board praised the 24- year facelift and over- whelmingly encourage fu- ture development. According to Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Ar- bor), the plan isolates the University within the city and is not found at other universities. It ' s a glorious plan, said Regent Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor). When one looks at campus over the past 15 years as I have, it ' s really gratifying. The plan is especially evident along the mall from the Rackham Building to the Graduate Library, not- ed Alumni Association ex- ecutive director Robert Forman. This is an inter- esting University because the architectural scheme is not uniform. Each building is different, and the differ- ent styles of buildings re- present the best architecture of the different years they were built in. What the Master Plan does is attempt to bring all these buildings together, mostly by landscaping and design. By Martha Sevetson 4, I Life REGARDLESS OF CHANGES in the Ann Arbor skyline, the Bur- ton Memorial Tower remains the same. THE DIAG has changed little in recent years, except for when the Economics Building burned down. THE MASTER PLAN

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HAROLD EDWARDS takes a break from studying in Bursley ' s Clone Room. GRADUATE STUDENT Bill Mangione-Smith uses a Zenith at the Computing Center. NORTH CAMPUS + 15