Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1928 [PAGE 89]

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86

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

IJuly 7

2. A n addition to Lincoln Hall to complete the building as originally contemplated, to provide absolutely necessary class and lecture rooms, at a probable cost of 500,000 3. Building for H o m e Economics, and equipment 400,000 4. Addition to Cattle Feeding Plant (Elevator or feed storage unit).. 75,000 5. Drainage of farming lands in Urbana-Champaign 16,000 If the Board decides to curtail the service building program, which in m y opinion would be a serious mistake, in order to enter upon the program of building men's dormitories, or if the Board should decide to add to the amount of appropriations asked for service buildings something for men's dormitories I would then enter for a First dormitory unit for M e n $250,000 to $350,000 Out of the above it seems to m e w e should select the items of our next legislative building appropriation. The need for all the service buildings is pressing, in order to carry on established work in a way comparable with that in which it is carried on elsewhere and (of more importance) in a way that it is necessary to do the work so as to procure the best results. It will not be out of place in this connection to give you the opinion of Professor James M . White, the Supervising Architect, written in response to a request from m e to state his views on the matter under discussion. H e wrote on June 7: "I believe that the first building on our list for the next biennium should be the third unit of the new Library building, #500,000; that the second should be a laboratory, or laboratories, for Hydraulics and Materials Testing, #500,000; and third, the completion of Lincoln Hall, $500,000." "Much as I should like to see another building located in the new south campus group in order to help clinch the scheme, there is no question but that our greatest need will be for fairly centrally located class room space. I believe that an addition to Lincoln Hall will give us this to the best advantage." In another letter the Supervising Architect remarked: "I believe that during the coming biennium the instructional work should be given all of the additional space for which appropriations will be secured. W e need more class room space centrally located on the campus." H e went on to say that with the expansion of Lincoln Hall to the west "and the building in the court of a lecture hall seating possibly five hundred persons it would accommodate a very large number of classes and it is exceedingly conveniently located" . . . "If the College of Engineering is to stay in its present location I think the general college class work should be kept on this side of Green Street, reserving the buildings on the north side of Green Street for the more purely technical courses." These views are in accord with m y own, arrived at independently. W e are in more and more pressing need of class room space because of the rapid growth of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the consequent rapid increase in the number of classes necessary for its own students as well as for the class work which it must carry on for the students of the other colleges. I have not yet completed m y study of the additional amount that will probably be needed in our operating budget in the next biennium. Last time w e transferred $500,000 from the building to the operating budget. W e m a y not need more than that and I hope that we m a y need to transfer a little less. But I a m not yet clear on the matter. That must be determined before we can tell what will be available for buildings. In view of all the above and in order to assist m e in working intelligently to make a more complete report in September or October, I respectfully ask that your Board instruct m e today on the following points connected with this matter: I. That the Board instruct m e that, in making up m y recommendations for the next biennial appropriation, I shall not exceed the total amount received in the last biennium; namely, $10,500,000. 2. That the Board now instruct m e that I should include in the building budget $500,000 for t i o n of M r s .of u s e y , r Libraryebuilding.n 2 w a s concurred in. O n m o the third unit B the new e c o m m n d a t i o 1