Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1912 [PAGE 201]

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1911]

PROCEEDINGS OE THE BOAKD OE TRUSTEES.

157

I recommend t h a t t h e School of Commerce building be given a site n o r t h of the Woman's building and corresponding in position with reference to t h e campus axis to t h e Chemistry building. The Chemistry building is 203 feet e a s t of t h e m e r i d i a n p a s s i n g t h r o u g h the center of the A u d i t o r i u m , a n d h a s a" frontage of 232 feet. The facade of the School of Commerce building should therefore be 203 feet west of t h e campus axis, with t h e facade about 232 feet, which shall center on t h e facade of t h e Chemistry building. No west building line h a s been established, b u t t h i s location will leave a distance of 253 feet from t h e facade of the building to t h e W r i g h t s t r e e t curb. P r e s i d e n t J a m e s p r e s e n t e d also t h e f o l l o w i n g l e t t e r f r o m D e a n K i n k y , d i r e c t o r of t h e courses i n c o m m e r c e , c o n t a i n i n g h i s s u g g e s t i o n s i n r e g a r d -to t h e p l a n a n d l o c a t i o n of t h e b u i l d i n g : J u n e 16, 1911. President E. J. James, University of Illinois: DEAR MR. PRESIDENT—I beg leave to s u b m i t a few suggestions concerning t h e location of t h e proposed Commerce building. 1. This should be a separate and distinct building. The money was appropriated to erect a building for t h e School of Commerce, and not to finish some other building. If t h e new building could be erected as t h e finishing p a r t of some other building and a t the same t i m e r e t a i n its separateness a n d have its own character, I should not see any serious objections, provided, as the commerce work expands a n d more room is needed, we should not be compelled to come in with a request for a n entirely new building. T h a t is, the^ whole building of which the Commerce building would, by t h i s plan, be a part, should in t i m e be given over to us. I do n o t t h i n k it would be proper or fair to m a k e t h e School of Commerce building a subsidiary p a r t of a n o t h e r building, and. t h e n ask t h e school to give up its building in t i m e to these other interests and u n d e r t a k e t h e stress a n d s t r a i n of securing a n o t h e r one. 2. The proposed building should in its style of architecture and its int e r n a l a r r a n g e m e n t indicate its purpose and the character of the work to which it is devoted, so far as t h i s is not inconsistent with the general archit e c t u r a l principles t h a t dominate our building and campus policy. 3. T h e building.erected should be planned w i t h a view to future enlargement. I know t h a t there a r e objections to w h a t may be called p a r t s of buildings, such as we seem obliged to p u t up. That, however, is not our fault. If we do not get money enough to put up complete s t r u c t u r e s according to our plans, we are not justified, in my opinion, in t a k i n g appropriations made for separate buildings and combining t h e m to complete one building for the completion of which t h e Legislature h a s refused to appropriate. I t h i n k t h a t some people m i g h t be inclined to ask whether such a policy was justifiable either ethically or legally. 4. I have a lively interest in and deep sympathy w i t h the general plans for campus improvement a n d building submitted by our able supervising architect, and certainly should not w a n t to urge the plans for t h i s building in a way t h a t would interfere w i t h h i s ideas. Nevertheless, believing as I do t h a t the School of Commerce, a s soon as it can get sufficient money, will increase m a n y fold in i t s n u m b e r s and work, I am of t h e opinion t h a t t h e building finally needed will be a larger s t r u c t u r e t h a n Lincoln Hall. I t will, therefore, be an i m p o r t a n t s t r u c t u r e and should be located accordingly. T h e r e a r e one or two minor considerations t h a t should not be overlooked. We give instruction to nearly t h r e e h u n d r e d engineering students in t h e course of the year. If t h i s building is p u t too far from t h e engineering group, t h e students cannot get to t h e i r classes in t h e ten-minute interval. If, again, t h e building is located too far from t h e library, great inconvenience will be experienced, because these courses require large use of t h e library. Very t r u l y yours,

DAVID K I N L E Y .