Tension between Nature Preservation and Architectural Features
The current-day natural and architectural preservation tactics used at Indiana University exist because of the efforts put forth by the faculty and administration along with the ideas of the community on preservation post-1950 coming together to keep the campus full of nature while keeping the campus’s original feel. A perfect example of this is the Dunn Meadow Preservation Plaque [1]. The plaque is a clear testament to the community’s efforts in keeping the IU campus beautiful surrounded by nature. Set in the ground after the re-plantation of trees in the meadow after a large storm destroyed many of them, this plaque is clearly connected to nature preservation. Other commemorative plaques and objects about campus tell of other “similar” donations and community efforts for change on campus. These vary greatly however, with each plaque having a unique purpose for being present.
The story of the balance between nature and architecture begins much before 1950. One look at an article title from the February 5th, 1904 edition of the Indiana Daily Student will tell you that nature preservation was key to our early development here at IU [2]. The article title reads “Campus Improvements Due to Prof. Mottier,” giving the head of the Department of Botany recognition for his efforts in his time at Bloomington. The campus chairman sought to “make Indiana University’s campus the most beautiful in the country,” and under his leadership many important improvements to the natural side of campus were made. The Indiana Daily Student goes on to detail some of his accomplishments in developing areas of campus, stating that “within the past two years several hundred trees, have been planted” [2].
The former President of the IU Foundation, Curt Simic, once said that the “the landscape of the University is always, without fail, one of the top three things alumni remember about campus” [3]. This is most certainly because of the campus’s original design in Bloomington. Founded in 1858, the landscape and architectural design company “Olmstead Brothers” has been involved with over ten thousand separate clients. Starting in 1929 the Olmstead Brothers were involved in the planning and development of the then-moving IU campus. Throughout the next seven years the firm developed a total of 161 separate plans for the new campus location [4]. This shows that not only did those in charge of the university’s development care about how the area looked, but that they wanted it to look a very specific way and they weren’t afraid to reject plans that didn’t fit their vision(s). While the Olmsted Brothers aren’t in charge of any university planning here at IU any more, their work can still be seen to this day in Well’s Quad and parts of Dunn’s Woods.
This revitalization of campus through architecture and natural innovation started, in part, because of the Great Depression. Indiana University wished to boost the local economy by creating jobs that were paid through federal funding while making efforts to beautify major parts of campus [5]. This push for nature and campus development was led by Herman B. Wells. During his presidency campus expanded for the third time, a total of 137 acres closer to the campus’s current 1,900 acre approximate size [6]. The ambitious efforts of Wells and his staff were necessary in a time of collegiate-stagnation. With World War II on the horizon and a decrease in jobs and the local workplace economy, IU prepared for the future by creating a unique and nature-filled campus environment during its expansions.
The Indiana University campus in Bloomington experienced a student-enrollment boom once World War II had ended. With young men and women flocking to campus post-war, expansions were certainly needed. New areas were purchased and spaces were created with the idea that nature and architecture interweave to create a unique and thought-provoking atmosphere at IU. For example, in 1956 Indiana University acquired the contract for Faris Farm which allowed the University to own much of the land between campus’s center and University Lake which has been kept in relatively the same state since then [6]. The push for nature development and preservation has never been a cheap one, either. An inter-departmental communication document between the Vice President / Treasurer and the Assistant Treasurer of the University in 1953 states that the “Buildings and Grounds Campus Budget” for the 1952-1953 school year was estimated to come to a total of $115,000. This might seem like a large amount to be putting into landscape and building beautification or management, but the budget increased significantly to an approximate total of $150,000 just the next school year [7]. The price of keeping the campus full of nature and keeping buildings intact has only continued to increase following this.
Nature preservation and campus development came about from the observations of those in administrative positions and the actions of the students here. Each year of Wells’s presidency at IU was opened up with a campus tour in early August where Wells and his supporting staff would evaluate campus and decide what needed to be changed. During these observational walkthroughs of campus, paths were “killed,” areas were allowed to grow back to their “natural state,” and planting specifications/plans were developed [8]. Certain additions, like new lampposts being added around Wilkie, benefit all of those encountering the area and are brought about due to the administrative view. Others arise directly from problems with daily life, such as students cutting across lawns leading to new pathways on campus. Frits Loonsten became the official landscape architect of Indiana University, Bloomington in 1940. His visions, attention to detail, and love for a variety of plants led to a unique and nature-filled campus. In his 1970 report “Evaluation of the Present State of Campus,” Loonsten brings up that because students are walking across the lawn of Teeter Quad there should be a new walkway paved since he doubts the university could “keep the students from doing this,” [9]. These campus changes aren’t simply for the benefit of the people who are on it, but many seek to preserve nature as well. For example, when looking back on the previous year’s snow removal tactics, Loonsten made note that it was unfortunate that the university’s equipment had done a lot of damage to the pfitzer trees. He tells that it “could not have been prevented,” but that it could be prevented in the future by trimming back the trees more during the fall [9].
Those in administration weren’t the only ones dedicated to preserving the beauty of nature on campus. In 1961 Wells encouraged the professor emeritus of botany Paul Weatherwax to write a book that would promote the nature-based legacy that his administration had created [10]. “As old trees died or had to be removed for reasons of safety, their places were filled with young trees of the same kind,” Weatherwax states in his 1969 version of “The Woodland Campus of Indiana University,” something that continues to this day [11]. Weatherwax not only wishes to educate those reading his work on the plant life located in Bloomington, but also on the preservation of nature on campus and how it truly came to look the way it does. He advocates for both change, as well as preservation. “These forces will all call for a change, and many changes will have to be made. But whatever else may happen, these spots of natural beauty on the campus, our most stable bond with pioneer days, must be preserved for future generations,” [11]. This pattern of change amidst preservation has continued onwards to the present day.
I have attempted, in my own way, to continue on this pattern of preservation on campus. There are various locations around the Bloomington campus which are clear testaments to preservation. These areas typically have informational plaques on them with a dedication of some type, as most of this type of preservation arises from community donations. I have personally went around the Indiana University campus and I have seen a variety of these dedications. There are plaques on benches, in front of trees, for buildings, and for a few other purposes.
By making use of the time of my classmates I was able to gather a set of pictures with exact coordinates for some of these dedications in order to start making a complete map of them for campus. I encountered a few problems along the way which set back my data collection however. If I had more time to dedicate to this project I would be able to get a full map of these objects around campus. Unfortunately I would need a dedicated team or assistance of some kind in order to systematically sweep the campus for this sort of information. The Campus Architect has this data collection on their schedule which should begin come August of 2017.
For more information on how IU is making an effort to preserve nature on campus, visit this article on the Indiana University Sustainability Innovation Fund