A Purdue Icon: Creation, Life, and Legacy 9781557539168, 9781557537829

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A PURDUE ICON

CREATION, LIFE, AND LEGACY

The Founders Series

A PURDUE ICON

CREATION, LIFE, AND LEGACY

Edited by James L. Mullins

Purdue University Press • West Lafayette

Copyright 2017 by Purdue University. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the Library of Congress. Cloth ISBN: 978-1-55753-782-9 Dustjacket image: (Front) Architectural Rendering of Purdue Power Plant, 1924, by Nicol, Scholar, and Hoffman Architects. Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. (Back) Trevor Mahlmann. (Back Flap) Purdue University/Andy Hancock. Cover design by Lindsey Organ. Interior design by Lindsey Organ and Katherine Purple.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr.

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Preface

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Introduction James L. Mullins and Elizabeth Bower

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Essay 1 Following a National Example: Purdue’s Transition to the Mechanical and Industrial Age James L. Mullins

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Essay 2 Setting the Stage: A Pivotal Time for Planning and Design at Purdue Eugene R. Hatke and Jeffrey A. Rhodes

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Essay 3 The “Splendidly Designed” Power Plant: From Symbol of Modernity to Beloved Icon Susan Curtis and Kristina Bross

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Essay 6 End of an Era: The Razing of the Old Power Plant and ENAD Mark Shaurette

Essay 4 Heating and Power Plant–North: Home of the “Boilermakers” Lynn Parrish

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Essay 7 111 The Architectural Vision: Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center Design Overview BSA LifeStructures and RATIO

Essay 5 71 A Phoenix from the Coal Ashes: An Active Learning Center Emerges on the Old Power Plant Site James L. Mullins

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Epilogue James L. Mullins

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In Appreciation

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Index

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FOREWORD For roughly nine decades, the Power Plant (Heating and Power Plant– North or HPN), with its iconic smokestack, and the Engineering Administration building (ENAD) were fixtures of Purdue’s campus. In a small but underappreciated way, the structures shaped what it means to be a Boilermaker today. For those who studied in ENAD, worked in HPN, or simply walked by both on their way to other destinations, these buildings became a part of the Purdue experience. In fall 2017, these structures officially will be replaced by the new Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC). As students come and go and new faculty and staff arrive, fewer will remember the two structures that preceded the WALC on the grounds east of the Bell Tower. But thanks to Purdue’s committed archivists and historians, the memories and stories recorded in this book and at Purdue University Libraries will not be lost to history.

No one could be better suited to lead a project like this than Purdue’s award-winning Dean of Libraries James L. Mullins. In addition to overseeing Purdue’s library and archives, Dean Mullins was an early advocate for Purdue’s active learning program, and he has been influential in the creation of the WALC. He is uniquely qualified to look both backward and forward, from Purdue’s breakthrough as a leading scientific university in the days of HPN to our future as the sponsor of the nation’s largest and fastest growing active learning program. As you will read in the essays that follow, the active learning approach puts student success at the center of every course, often minimizing in-class lectures and emphasizing in-class projects in addition to online lectures reviewed by students at their own pace. Already, 96 percent of our students are exposed to an active learning course before they graduate. The primary purpose of the WALC will be to provide additional space to serve more and to further integrate the principles of student-centered teaching into Purdue’s culture. Our data show this approach greatly increases the likelihood that students, even those with the odds stacked against them, are able to master the curriculum. As such, the Wilmeth Active Learning Center will advance Purdue’s land-grant mission, better equipping our University to serve all our students through research-proven teaching tactics.

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When viewed this way, the book you hold is about much more than buildings or even Purdue history. As Sir Winston Churchill noted, “We shape our dwellings and afterwards our dwellings shape us.” This work is about the lives these structures have shaped and will shape for decades to come, and it is the story of how a state-of-the-art power facility was replaced by a first-of-its-kind learning facility.

Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. President Purdue University

PREFACE The idea for this book came to me when it was apparent that the old Power Plant/ENAD would be demolished to make way for the proposed Active Learning Center (ALC). Rarely has a building as prosaic as a power plant generated as much identity with a university as this one did at Purdue University. For nearly seventy years, its 250-foot smokestack anchored the campus on the landscape. Although the smokestack was never used symbolically by the University on publications or stationary, it served as an informal symbol— or icon—for decades. President Steven Beering quickly discovered the importance of the smokestack when he proposed that it be demolished when the Power Plant was decommissioned in the early 1990s. Students and alumni alike expressed their opposition. In response, in 1995 the Class of 1948 provided funding for the construction of the Bell Tower to serve as an iconic replacement for the smokestack. The Bell Tower now represents the identity of the University on everything from publications to T-shirts. Why the old Power Plant was demolished instead of repurposed has been questioned time and again. There were three primary reasons why repurposing the building was not a viable option. First, the building was designed utilizing the massive boilers as integral components of the support structure. Without the boilers, the building would lack structural integrity. Second, given the use of the

building, the structure and likely the surrounding area were contaminated with toxic materials such as asbestos and coal tar, which would have made repurposing the building complicated and expensive. Third, the campus location of the Power Plant/ ENAD restricted the potential for construction of the additional square footage required to meet the program needs for the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center. It is difficult for those of us who arrived at Purdue long after the smokestack was removed to comprehend the connection students and alumni had to something that many might consider to be an unattractive feature in the center of a university campus. To better understand the unique reverence for a structure as utilitarian as a smokestack and the power plant it served, it helps to understand the reason for its construction and location. When the Power Plant, with its smokestack, was constructed in the early 1920s, it was both a necessity for heat and power and was a statement by Purdue to an era of modernity. This state-of-the-art facility illustrated an effort to show that the campus was aware of how dramatically things were changing in the early twentieth century. In addition to its utilitarian role, it was also an active learning center given its use as a laboratory for mechanical and civil engineering students. Furthermore, the plant was the daily focus for many unsung workers at Purdue who kept the boilers and generators running 365 days a year to provide heat and power for the growing campus. When the Power Plant was built, the campus did not extend much beyond the facility. Over the ix

next thirty years, as the campus expanded north, the Power Plant’s location became the center of campus rather than on the edge. With construction of the larger south power plant in the 1960s, the decommissioned building sat mostly unused for more than twenty-five years as the University considered options for the structure and the site. In the early 2010s, with the need to construct a building that would provide much-needed classrooms and library spaces, the decision was made to demolish the structure. My objective with this book was to bring together individuals at Purdue and external collaborators to tell the story of the old Power Plant and its smokestack. The positive response to my request to faculty and colleagues to write an essay on a portion of the story was gratifying, especially since many of the writers had little memory of the old Power Plant being more than an empty building at the center of campus. I extend a strong thank you to the following authors for their essays: Eugene Hatke and Jeff Rhodes; Susan Curtis and Kristina Bross; Lynn Parrish; Mark Shaurette; and the architects and staff at BSA LifeStructures and RATIO. Thanks also for the oral histories provided by Marty Nelson, Joe Arnett, and Harold Lambirth, Sr., who contributed their experiences working in the old Power Plant, and the oral history by Harry Hirschl, who provided his memories of classes he attended in the building as a mechanical engineering student in the 1940s. Without their commitment to contribute their knowledge and scholarship, this book would not be possible.

Bringing together a collection of essays with relevant drawings, photographs, and historical analysis requires tremendous research to ensure that the images and illustrations help to tell the story. My appreciation goes to Neal Harmeyer, digital archivist, and David Hovde, associate professor, in the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center of the Purdue University Libraries. I also thank Andrew Tuholski, a Purdue University graduate student, who worked with me on this project. Of course, this effort would not be possible without the agreement of the Purdue University Press and its editorial board to publish this book as part of the

Founders Series. This brought to bear the talents and knowledge of experts in the Press, including Lindsey Organ, graphic designer; Katherine Purple, editorial, design, and production strategic manager; Bryan Shaffer, sales and marketing strategic manager; Becki Corbin, administrative assistant; and Peter Froehlich, director of the Scholarly Publishing Division. This book would never have seen the light of day without the valuable aid of Elizabeth Bower, my editorial assistant for this project. Elizabeth kept me focused and on schedule. She also communicated with the authors to keep the book moving forward. Thank you, Elizabeth.

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Finally, I wish to acknowledge the Esther Ellis Norton endowment for funds to make this book possible. To the reader, I hope you find this book interesting and informative. It is not often that a building such as a power plant has a book written to document its life, impact, and legacy, but the old Power Plant and its smokestack at Purdue University deserve this special recognition!

James L. Mullins, PhD Dean of Libraries, Esther Ellis Norton Professor, Purdue University Purdue University, August 2017

INTRODUCTION

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James L. Mullins, Dean of Libraries, Esther Ellis Norton Professor, Purdue University Elizabeth Bower, Editorial Assistant

Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II. ii. 1–2)

It may seem odd to start an introduction to a book that tells the story of a power plant, one so important to the history of Purdue University, with a quote from Shakespeare. But there is a reason “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is appropriate. During the ninety years of its existence, the 1924 Purdue Power Plant was referred to and known by different names—some official and some unofficial—signifying the structure’s unique yet changing role on campus. The Power Plant was built on what was then the north edge of the campus. As the campus expanded northward, the Power Plant was surrounded, becoming the center of campus, both physically and functionally. The building was conceived and constructed in 1923–1924 and was referred to as the Power Plant, or the 1924 Power Plant, to distinguish it from the earlier and still existing power plant constructed in 1904. As the years progressed and the plant’s purpose became an expectation rather than a luxury, many came to know the building only because of its very significant identifying feature: its smokestack. The 250-foot smokestack assumed an iconic identity for the campus. When students or alumni would refer to the Plant, it would often be as the Purdue Stack. The smokestack established Purdue’s identity on the landscape and provided a visible identity to the campus as an engineering and technical university. In 1960, a new power plant was constructed on the far south side of campus. Now known as the Walter W. Wade Utility Plant, the new plant was known as Heating and Power Plant–South

(HPS) when it became operational in 1962. The 1924 Power Plant then became Heating and Power Plant–North (HPN). Between its 1991 decommissioning and until its 2014 demolition, it was officially on the building inventory as HPN. However, few people outside the facilities department knew it as HPN, as most often it was referred to as the “old Power Plant.” And once the smokestack came down in 1992, even its identity as an industrial power plant became almost entirely forgotten. The role of the old Power Plant became subsumed with the north-adjoining building, the Engineering Administration Building (ENAD), formerly the Service and Stores Building. This misplaced identification became so pronounced that during the buildings’ demolition, the reports published in The Exponent referred to the two-building complex as ENAD. Many recent alumni and current students had little idea what the old Power Plant’s original purpose had been since it appeared to have no discernible use or role on campus. Therefore, in writing the essays included in this book, the authors and contributors refer to the building using different names. When possible, a note at the beginning of each essay should help to clarify the nomenclature used for the facility. It seemed improper to assign the structure a standard or fixed name for this book’s continuity purposes when the generations of students, faculty, staff, and community members assigned their own designation. Therefore, references to the 1924 Power Plant, Heating and Power Plant, Heating and Power Plant–North, the old Power Plant, or ENAD generally identify the complex of buildings xii

that included the original 1924 Power Plant and ENAD. While complex, using the name correlated to each era helps to tell the evolving story of one of the most unusual and central buildings that ever existed on the Purdue campus. This book brings together seven essays researched and written by authorities who bring their knowledge to bear on the creation, life, impact, and legacy of the old Power Plant. The intent of this book is to provide perspectives of a Purdue icon throughout its life and demise. Experts in diverse fields undertook this project of compiling these essays that discuss facets of the old Power Plant’s origin, need, symbolism, cultural change, work and study life, and eventual demolition. The authors place this unusual building in the larger context of what was happening in society, culture, higher education, and at Purdue. Although a power plant may not seem as integral as a classroom, library, athletic facility, or laboratory might be to student success or the discoveries of a researcher, these university facilities would have no function or use without a power source. It was the boilers and generators in the old Power Plant that kept the campus running, and it was the people who committed much of their working lives keeping those boilers fired to generate the electricity and the hot water to make instructional, study and research, and athletic venues operational. The following essays each detail a specific aspect of the old Power Plant’s history. The essays are presented in an order that chronicles the life of the plant and campus. Of course, the issue of the building’s productive end requires discussion, as do

the design for a building never seen before on a university campus. The Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) is a worthy replacement for the old Power Plant that had served the campus so well. The book begins with the essay, “Following a National Example: Purdue’s Transition to the Mechanical and Industrial Age,” by volume editor and Dean of Libraries James L. Mullins. The essay heavily explores Purdue’s history with a focus on the expansion of facilities to provide heat and power, a trend that is mirrored from the national movement. It further details the role of the old Power Plant as a generative force in Purdue’s growth as a modern scientific university, and examines how both material and metaphorical conceptions of power generation inform this vision. Architectural rendering of Purdue Power Plant, 1924, by Nicol, Scholar, and Hoffman Architects. Courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

the options that were available for the site’s alternative use. There grew two apparent needs on the Purdue campus that could have been solved with the construction of a building that was unique in its conceptualization and design, and it was then that the decision was made to demolish the old Power Plant. These two needs included the growth of active learning at Purdue University requiring a different classroom design model and the changing role of the library as a center for learning, dictating

The campus growth and design is further discussed in Eugene R. Hatke and Jeffrey A. Rhodes’s essay, “Setting the Stage: A Pivotal Time for Planning and Design at Purdue.” Here, the authors describe the history of Purdue’s campus master plans and the firms involved with these designs. Additionally, this essay describes the architectural styles present on campus and how the old Power Plant and ENAD were constructed to mirror the surrounding buildings—a decision also made in the design of the new WALC. Professors Susan Curtis and Kristina Bross offer a social analysis of the old Power Plant and the smokestack within the Purdue culture in their essay “The ‘Splendidly Designed’ Power Plant: xiii

From Symbol of Modernity to Beloved Icon.” This essay studies the history of the old Power Plant and smokestack across the decades, and it traces the way the perception of this symbol of modernity changed over time. The authors reflect on the way the Purdue community regarded the old Power Plant at different points in its history and on how each succeeding generation came to its own appreciation and, at times, deprecation of this campus icon. The personal response to the old Power Plant is captured in Lynn Parrish’s essay “Heating and Power Plant–North: Home of the ‘Boilermakers.’” While the physical structure of the Power Plant remained until 2014 and was able to be extensively documented before demolition, the stories of those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enable the University to function left no tangible trace. Through oral history interviews with former and current Purdue employees who worked at HPN, the author gives voice to the anonymous individuals who were rarely seen, but whose presence was unknowingly felt by all—scholars, students, staff, and community. Dean Mullins contributes another essay, “A Phoenix from the Coal Ashes: An Active Learning Center Emerges on the Old Power Plant Site,” which outlines the history of libraries at American universities and Purdue’s own account of this academic facility from the first library in University Hall to the WALC. This essay reviews the relationship between the libraries and active learning spaces and how the WALC will serve as a union of these two concepts.

Professor Mark Shaurette provides a glimpse at the complexity of the demolition process and how it relates to both the past and future of the site in his essay “End of an Era: The Razing of the Old Power Plant and ENAD.” The author explains how many complex conditions at the site and proximity to campus activity necessitated careful planning and implementation of demolition.

The book concludes with the essay “The Architectural Vision: Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center Design Overview,” written by members of the BSA LifeStructures and RATIO staff. Here, the designers illustrate the architectural design concept, details, and layout of the new WALC. Further, this essay explains the objective to design a structure that reflects the site’s past and how the designers achieved this goal.

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This book features photographs and drawings that help the reader visualize the campus as it changed, the progress of heat and power provision, and the varied roles that the old Power Plant and ENAD had on campus. Despite its iconic role, there are few images of the smokestack as it was not formally identified as a University symbol. Readers will be captivated by the campus images that do exist and are reproduced here to tell and preserve the story of this great Purdue structure.

ESSAY 1 FOLLOWING A NATIONAL EXAMPLE: PURDUE’S TRANSITION TO THE MECHANICAL AND INDUSTRIAL AGE

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James L. Mullins, Dean of Libraries, Esther Ellis Norton Professor, Purdue University

Editor’s Note: In this essay, the names 1924 Power Plant, Power Plant, Heating and Power Plant– North, and HPN are used to describe the 1924 structure. All images in this essay are courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections unless otherwise stated. “When complete, the power plant will be one of the most complete and modern of its size in the state. Besides furnishing heat, light and power, it will provide the University with one of the finest power plant laboratories in the country and will be of great value not only for instructional purposes, but for engineering research.” 1

The Land-Grant Act and a Higher Education Movement It Created When Purdue was founded in 1869, the United States was recovering from the Civil War, but in addition to that major social and cultural upheaval, another significant change was occurring within the country: industrialization. Until the mid- to late nineteenth century, locally sourced wood had been the primary fuel that provided heat and power for homes and factories. However, with the rapid expansion of industries and railroads, the demand for fuel outstripped the capacity of locally sourced wood. Regional coal mining became the primary fuel to generate heat and power. With the growth of the railroad system across the country, the ability to ship coal was greatly facilitated. Coal was needed to generate steam in power plants proliferating across the country that provided electricity to power street lights, trollies, factories, schools,

hospitals, universities, and more and more often, homes (see Figure 1.1). The United States government, in the form of Vermont Congressman Justin Morrill, began to consider this transition even before the Civil War (see Figure 1.2). The Morrill Act was first proposed to Congress on December 14, 1857, and it was passed in 1859.2 Despite having Congress’s approval, it was vetoed by President James Buchanan.3 Morrill resubmitted the Act in 1861, but it featured a new provision: proposed institutions formed from this legislation would teach military tactics as well as engineering and agriculture4—a nod to the need created by the war then in progress. As it became apparent that the need would continue to grow for well-prepared workers in agriculture, industry, and the military, the Morrill Act focused on education that would be available to young people in all social classes. Congress deemed the Morrill Act as an important expansion of that cause. The Morrill Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln (see Figures 1.3 and 1.4) on July 2, 1862, and was officially titled “An Act Donating Public Lands to the Several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.”5

Figure 1.1 History of energy consumption in the United States (1776–2012). Image courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Perspectives 1949–2010.

In accordance with the Morrill Act, each state was provided 30,000 acres of federal land per each congressional delegation member.6 The states then sold this land, using the revenue to finance existing colleges or chartering new schools, all focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts.7 In all, these 2

Figure 1.2 Vermont Congressman Justin Morrill proposed the Act to Congress in 1857. Image courtesy of the United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, PD-Brady-Handy.

land grants funded sixty-nine colleges,8 including Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois, and of course, Purdue University.

Figure 1.4 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act into law in 1862. Image Courtesy of the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs Division, PD-US.

Figure 1.3 The Morrill Act was signed into law on July 2, 1862. Image courtesy of General Records of the United States Government, National Archives, PD-USGov.

The Morrill Act of 1890 To supplement the progress of the 1862 Act, the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1890 was passed, providing additional funds for agriculture and mechanics education, and included subjects such as the life sciences, math, and English.9 This revised Act was proposed with the former Confederate states as the focus. The states that had seceded during the Civil War, and had since rejoined the Union, were now eligible to receive funds. With these additions, the federal government also required grant-funded schools to permit African American students.10

Under the Act, there was a compromise for universities that refused to adhere to this provision: If a school did not provide a common space for African Americans and whites to use, the school needed to provide a separate institution that duly met the African American students’ needs.11 Moreover, each state was called to submit compulsory annual reports to demonstrate the equitable allocation of received funds to African American and white schools.12 States in violation of this measure were ruled ineligible to receive future land-grant act funds.13

The debate included allocating the role to Indiana University as other states in the area were doing, such as Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In 1869, it was decided that the General Assembly would accept the offer from the Lafayette community that included a gift of $150,000 from businessman and entrepreneur John Purdue; $50,000 from Tippecanoe County; and 100 acres of farmland from local residents. In honor of the substantial gift and the leadership given by John Purdue to secure and support the founding of Indiana’s land-grant university, the General Assembly named it Purdue University (see Figure 1.5). Thereby, 1869 was established as the year Purdue was founded. Figure 1.5 John Purdue’s gift contributed to the Indiana General Assembly selecting the Lafayette area as the site of the state’s landgrant university. Image courtesy of unknown source via Wikimedia Commons, PD-US.

Indiana’s Response to the Land-Grant Act

The Growing Need for Power

In response to the Morrill Act of 1862, Indiana moved quickly for this opportunity to create an institution that would meet the requirements of the legislation. In 1865, the Indiana General Assembly voted to participate and meet the provisions of the Morrill Act. For several years, the General Assembly held contentious debates about the options for establishing such an institution.

Purdue University held the first semester of classes in 1874, and with the students and faculty came the need to produce heat and power. The rapid increase in electricity was not unique to Purdue. In his book Electrifying America: Social Meanings of a New Technology, 1880–1940, David R. Nye details the swift growth in electricity production across the country:

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The grid of wires covered the nation in a period of only sixty years, beginning in the city during the 1880s. The first electrified places were wealthy residences, hotels, theaters, department stores, and clubs, many of which installed their own isolated generating plants. They made the new technology synonymous with wealth, power, and privilege.14 As the industry developed and learned how to serve consumers more efficiently, electricity became less expensive (see Figure 1.6). Nye describes how the industry’s companies progressed: electrical manufacturers grew and merged into a densely integrated structure. Beginning with fifteen sizeable companies in the early 1880s, they absorbed one another so rapidly that in 1893, only fourteen years after Edison’s invention of the practical electric light, General Electric and Westinghouse had swallowed all the other competitors to become a duopoly.15 To understand the incredible growth in electricity use at the national level, one only has to look at the local level (see Figure 1.7). And to understand what was happening locally in Lafayette and at Purdue University, one need only look at the growth of electricity in Muncie, Indiana. Muncie had a unique window on its activities nearly ninety years ago. In 1929, two sociologists, Robert S. and Helen Merrell Lynd, husband and wife, published

Figure 1.6 Chicago’s Fisk Street Station circa 1908 with a turbine-generator unit. Image courtesy of Arba N. Waterman via Flickr’s The Commons.

the results of their study of the model American town, Muncie, Indiana, in their groundbreaking book Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture. In this book, they documented the changes they observed in society with the advent of modern conveniences, generally provided by electricity. Nye references this study as he compares Muncie’s electrification to that of the rest of the United States; it was a similar process in Muncie as it was in the nation.16 Again, Nye: 4

Electricity also came in that year, for many of the same reasons it was being adopted everywhere else. Electricity was a sign of Edison’s genius, the wonder of the age, the hallmark of progress. It was a mysterious power Americans had long connected to magnetism, the nervous system, power, lightning, sex, health, and light.17

Figure 1.7 A 1921 issue of Literary Digest published a map of the United States that showed the relative size of electricity sold for light and power. Image from Literary Digest 69, no. 4 (April 23, 1921): 21.

The strength and reliability of this electricity was not immediately received, though. In Muncie, the city’s power plant had half the capacity as was needed to fully power the 25,000 residents, leading to an underpowered system and faint lights18: “Some passengers on incoming trains did not realize they had arrived in Muncie because it was so dark.”19 In 1904, tragedy struck Muncie and caused a situation that serves as an example for Purdue’s eventual request to continue self-producing power. The Muncie powerhouse was destroyed in a fire, as was the necessary equipment to keep the city lit. The locally produced power was replaced by a private company that later sold to New York’s Electric Holding Company of America.20 As Nye reflects on such situations, “this arrangement guaranteed a steady supply of energy from an interstate grid, but meant the loss of local control.”21

When James D. Oliver, president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works in South Bend, Indiana, and Purdue trustee (1906 to 1924), built his mansion Copshaholm in the mid-1890s, he had an electric line run from his factory to his home six blocks north on West Washington Street (see Figure 1.8). Copshaholm is generally considered South Bend’s first house built with electricity integrated into the construction. The story goes that people would stand and gaze in amazement at the mansion at night, its windows brightly lit from the electric lighting. Although difficult for modern minds to imagine, the sight of a house with windows ablaze was not typical (except when the house was on fire), since the mode of lighting was either candles, kerosene, or gas. Despite the awe of Copshaholm’s electric brilliance, Nye identifies electricity as “an enabling technology that is not always noticed. It quietly became central

Figure 1.8 James D. Oliver’s South Bend, Indiana, mansion Copshaholm received electricity from his factory. Image courtesy of Timothy Edward Howard, PD-US.

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to the functioning of the modern city, to the ‘industrialization’ of the home and modernization of the factory, and to the improvement of the farm.”22 This progression was not immediate. Private electricity use for most did not become a reality until after 1910 when it was used in home and work reconstruction, although it had been available more publicly since 1880 in urban areas.23

Electrical Devices Creating a New Environment Electricity growth saw rapid acceleration, and thus, the cost of this utility was greatly impacted. Nye uses figures from Muncie to illustrate this development: The electric light served as an entering wedge, opening up the home to other electrical devices. In the early years, many in Muncie paid a flat rate of one dollar a month for electrical service, regardless of how much current they used, but their lines could carry no more than 100 watts at a time, which prevented the use of large appliances. In 1915 there were two thousand such flat rate customers . . . metered service was only gradually introduced after 1905, and in 1911 there were nine hundred metered customers.24 As manufacturers saw the opportunity to exploit the newfound demand for electrical appliances, it

was a daunting time for the power companies to keep up with the demand. Just as a community would upgrade its power plant, the demand would grow. This growth continued as the cost for power went down. Furthermore, the social pressure to have the latest modern electrical devices caused a growth that accelerated after World War I. Low-cost electricity became more available by the 1920s, which thus created an increase in domestic electric appliances such as toasters and irons.25 Statistics from Muncie’s electricity use demonstrate the trend nationwide: “between March 1920 and February 1924, the average Muncie family increased its use of electricity by 25 percent, largely due to new appliances.”26 Electricity use would continue to surge, expanding beyond household appliances and impacting the home construction industry. American families came to expect new homes to have electrical wiring, as well as indoor plumbing and modern kitchens, preinstalled.27 These additions increased construction costs 25 to 40 percent, so with the introduction of these elements also came the reduction in floor plans’ size and complexity.28 The numbers detailing the electrical development are staggering: “The electrification of the domestic market began in earnest only after 1918, when in a single decade the majority of the homes in the United States were wired and acquired at least a few electrical appliances. One million new residential customers were added in 1921 alone, and by 1924 two million were being added annually.”29 Electricity had taken the nation by storm in a postWorld War I era.

Figure 1.9 Radio station broadcast room for WBAA, formerly 9YB code station, circa 1921–1922.

Access to electricity allowed such devices as the radio to find almost immediate prevalence in American households. Westinghouse Electric Company was the first company to create a radio station specifically for commercial programming.30 KDVA out of Pittsburgh began its commercial broadcasts on November 2, 1920, treating listeners to election returns for the presidential election— Warren Harding was victorious that year.31 Within three years, there were over 550 radio stations broadcasting programs across the country.32 The increase in content-producing stations meant a wider selection of programming from which listeners could choose, and a greater demand for receivers. Over four million receivers were produced between 1922 and 1925,33 demonstrating the boom of the radio industry in American homes. Radio 6

programming, including weather, news, and entertainment, connected communities that were previously secluded from rapid information streams. Because of its immediacy, radio linked Muncie to a national popular culture even more than the movies or the amusement park. After a scant ten years, radio was a commonplace34—and not only Muncie was linked; Lafayette and Purdue University found this avenue to information as well. Purdue was at the forefront of radio with station WBAA (see Figure 1.9). The station first broadcast on April 4, 1922,35 and was licensed as the first radio station in Indiana broadcasting from the Purdue University campus. WBAA found its first home in the old Electrical Engineering Building (see Figure 1.10).36

Figure 1.10 The old Electrical Engineering Building that housed WBAA in its infancy. The 1904 power plant can be seen to the right of this structure. 7

Purdue’s Answer to the Growing Need for Power and an Expanding Campus Growth of the University began with the first building’s groundbreaking in 1871, a structure that today is known as University Hall (formerly called the Main Building), the oldest extant building on campus. Among the first buildings constructed on campus was the Boiler and Gas House, an indication that the early planners recognized the need for a central facility to provide heat and gas distribution on campus. The gas distribution was for gas lighting since electricity had only recently been shown as a potential means to create lighting and no system of accepted creation or distribution of electricity had been determined. The Boiler and Gas House (also called the Engine House) was located almost directly west of University Hall, likely situated where the Steven C. Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education is located today (see Figures 1.11–1.13). Train tracks curved from the south and came next to the Boiler and Gas House, and underground lines ran from this structure to nearby buildings. On a Purdue campus map from 1898, the Boiler and Gas House is clearly visible, as are the markings that indicate the steam and gas lines branching off to campus buildings (see Figure 1.14). Easily discernable on this map is also old Heavilon Hall, seen here as Engineering Laboratory. The massive building on the northeast end of campus was the second structure to bear this name.

Figure 1.11 Purdue University had few buildings in 1874. Among them was the Boiler and Gas House (center).

Figure 1.12 This 1880s campus drawing illustrates the location of the Boiler and Gas House in respect to University Hall.

Figure 1.13 The Boiler and Gas House was the first boiler plant on campus.

The first Heavilon Hall, dedicated on January 19, 1894, was destroyed four days later by a nighttime fire caused by a boiler explosion inside or adjacent to the building (see Figure 1.15). Heavilon Hall was a total loss (see Figure 1.16). Despite this tragedy, President James H. Smart vowed that Purdue would rise above and rebuild the Heavilon Hall bell and clock tower “one brick higher”—a promise that

came to personify the ability of Purdue University to overcome challenges and adversity and meet them with exceptional determination and effort. Heavilon Hall was built with a boiler likely because of the inadequacy of the existing Boiler and Gas House to meet the expanding campus needs, especially as the newer buildings were constructed to the north and east out of its reach. This was a decision that

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may have contributed to its premature demise. Even with dedicated employees to keep the boiler fired and pumped, it would not have had the capacity to support the expansion of the campus physical plant. The rebuilt Heavilon Hall was completed in December 1895 (see Figure 1.17), and its tower was nine bricks higher than its predecessor. This structure was demolished in 1956, and the bells and clock from the tower were stored away to preserve for a future reuse. After the turn of the century, electricity became a viable source of lighting for the University, and campus buildings were wired for electricity. The contrast between the earlier gas lights and the incandescent electric lights must have been significant (see Figure 1.18). It would have been much more dramatic than the transition that we find

Figure 1.14 1898 Map of Purdue.

Figure 1.15 Old Heavilon Hall on fire shortly after its dedication.

Figure 1.16 Old Heavilon Hall after the fire destroyed the structure.

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Figure 1.17 New Heavilon Hall rebuilt.

Figure 1.18 The Main Building’s Library shows a combination of gas and electrical lights.

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Figure 1.20 Once the 1904 plant was brought online, the Boiler and Gas House was demolished.

Purdue continued to distribute heat and power through tunnels rather than an overhead system. While an above-ground arrangement would have been more conducive for electricity, it would have also been less aesthetic. The second power plant was a major advance over the first plant; however, it was not long before the 1904 structure was unable to meet the growth for power on campus (see Figure 1.21).

Figure 1.19 The 1904 plant (identified on the photo as 10) was built to replace the original structure that could not keep up with demand on campus. Here, the plant is seen behind the rebuilt Heavilon Hall.

ourselves making today from incandescent light bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. To meet the needs of the expanding campus, namely for electricity, construction on a second power plant began in 1903 on the north side of campus, slightly northwest of Heavilon Hall (see Figure 1.19). This structure, completed in 1904, originally held “four 250-(hp) [horsepower] boilers and one 75-(kv.a.) [kilovolt-ampere] engine-driven generator.”37

This was sustainable for less than five years, and “one boiler was added in 1909 and the generating equipment was increased by the purchase of a new 225-kv.a. engine-driven generator.”38 Again, this equipment was not able to provide the necessary power, and another boiler was added in 1912, thus completing the additions for this plant.39 With the completion of the 1904 Power Plant, demolition proceeded on the first engine house in 1907, making space available for new buildings (see Figure 1.20). 11

The 1904 Power Plant, the second power and heating plant constructed at Purdue, became inadequate within a short time after its construction. It was likely the first plant built to generate both heat and electrical power on campus; therefore, it was innovative at the time it was built to succeed the original Boiler and Gas House. The 1904 Power Plant was constructed on the existing train track that led past the Boiler and Gas House and continued to the locomotive engineering sheds behind Heavilon Hall (refer back to the campus map in Figure 1.14). The 1904 Power Plant was placed in a location along the train track so it could better provide more central campus power. Furthermore, the site along the tracks allowed for the easy delivery of coal.

Life at Purdue University from circa 1915 until 1924 must have been quite dark after 9:00 p.m. Even with its total build-out, the 1904 plant was not capable of meeting the expanding campus’s electrical needs. The library hours show that it closed at 8:00 p.m., in time for everyone to be out before the lights were shut off. Power Plant Engineering states that the University continued to grow and was ranked as the second largest engineering college in the country.41 The 1904 plant was stretched beyond its means and thus unable to meet the demand for electricity alone. To fulfill the remaining need for power on campus, the University purchased electricity from a local power company, and in 1922, about 30 percent of the power consumed by the University was acquired in this way.42 There was an evident and urgent need for a new power-producing facility.

Figure 1.21 Although much larger than the original Boiler and Gas House, the 1904 plant was unable to keep up with demand for heat and power on campus.

It was only a short time after the last expansion of the 1904 Power Plant that the campus was experiencing power and heat challenges. In a telegram sent by Captain Harry E. McIvor on February 24, 1916, to the chief of military affairs in Washington, DC, he comments: “The armory was wired for electricity, but the University power plant shuts down at 9:00 p.m. every night so there was no power on the lines at the time of the fire; it could not have been caused by defective wiring.”40

Increasing Need for Power on Campus The expansion of the campus through new construction was not the only factor driving the demand for additional power at the University. Just as in communities nationwide, the increased availability of electrical appliances made their impact at Purdue. Students arriving in the 1920s brought with them phonographs, radios, and fans. The expected ability of the University to provide electricity to power these new conveniences would not have been that dissimilar to the challenge Purdue experienced in providing ubiquitous Internet 12

access both through the Ethernet grid on campus as well as wireless connectivity everywhere. For a number of years, students in the 1920s most likely had to decide which electrical device was most critical at any one time or run the risk of blowing a circuit. Students in the early 2000s faced a similar experience with wireless connectivity—if too many were trying to access the web, access would slow down or crash. The solution in both instances was an investment by the University to increase capacity, first in power generation and then in Internet connectivity.

Constructing the 1924 Power Plant at Purdue In 1923, the Purdue University Board of Trustees submitted a request to the Indiana legislature seeking funds for a new heating and power plant.43 After arranging budget reports and investigating cost analysis for buying energy versus producing it, the legislature approved the request and appropriated $275,000 to start the construction of the power plant.44 And start the plant’s construction was a crucial term, since the facility was intended to accommodate the future needs of the University, and the plant was designed to expand in phases as the need grew. In the early 1920s there was little evidence that the campus would grow much further north than its existing plat (see Figure 1.22). However, with the construction of the new Electrical Engineering Building in 1922, it was apparent that there

would be growth on the perimeter of the campus immediately adjacent (see Figure 1.23). Anticipating that this growth would be in the engineering college, it was decided that the most logical location for the new power plant would be adjacent (north) to the existing 1904 structure. This placed the proposed structure along the train tracks for the continued easy coal delivery and in a location that provided space for coal storage. This location also was immediately accessible to engineering students using the power plant as a laboratory.45 The University had not yet received the proposal from David Ross and George Ade to build a new football stadium north of the existing campus on a site that allowed the stadium to take advantage of the natural lay of the land. By the time the new power plant was completed in late 1924, Ross– Ade Stadium was already open—its debut was on November 22, 1924. The plant was designed with future growth in mind—a seemingly typical process in construction and one that was executed with this structure (see Figure 1.24). Upon completing the final phase, the Power Plant would feature a 165-foot by 52-foot boiler room holding eight 500-horsepower boilers.46 These boilers would be grouped in pairs surrounding the smokestack.47 This boiler room was located in the east portion of the plant, the taller of the two sections at final build-out. In the final generator room, located west of the boiler room and the shorter building area at final build-out, two 500-kilowatt turbogenerators and two 150-kilowatt motor generator sets would fill the 120-foot by 38-foot room.48

Figure 1.22 Purdue campus map from 1921.

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When the first phase of the Power Plant was completed in 1924–1925 (see Figures 1.25 and 1.26), it contained about one-quarter of the projected equipment installation. This equipment, located in the south half of the designed building, included two boilers, part of the coal bunker, ash handling, and the stack.49 The delivered coal was brought through the coal-handling equipment on-site, where it was reduced to the appropriate “stoker size” and transferred to the stokers via an apron conveyor, bucket elevator, and flight conveyor, before being stored in the overhead bunker in the boiler house.50 The coal was delivered by railroad cars and dumped into either a pit or a double track hopper.51 The system, installed by the Freeman-Riff Company from Terre Haute, Indiana, was able to process fifty tons of coal per hour from railcar to coal bunker.52 Although this part of the system was automatic and complete with emergency stopping mechanisms in case of accidental unit failure, there did become a need for human operation. Above the stoker hoppers, there was a small mirror placed at a forty-five-degree angle so that the coal level in the hopper could be appropriately monitored by boiler operators.53 As history would show, the most recognizable element of the plant was the smokestack that signaled the presence of the Power Plant and Purdue itself. In addition to this iconic role it held for the Purdue community, the stack also served the important purpose of discharging smoke high enough to not have it contaminate the surrounding area. The smokestack, built by H. R. Heinecke, Inc., from

Figure 1.24 Construction of the 1924 Power Plant. The 1904 plant is visible to its right.

Figure 1.23 Growth north of the Power Plant is evident from the 1926 campus map with the new Electrical Engineering Building (northern B20) as well as Michael Golden Hall and Shops (B18 and B20).

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Figure 1.25 The first phase of the Power Plant held only a fraction of what the final build-out would contain. Image from Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925).

engine.57 Further, “it was deemed advisable to sacrifice the slight gain in economy of the [reciprocating] engine for the increased educational facility the turbine would afford”58 (see Figures 1.28 and 1.29).

250 225 200 175 150 125

The importance of practical experience was not lost upon the editors of the September 1925 edition of Power Plant Engineering. They state it simply:

100 75 50 25 0

Figure 1.27 The smokestack stood much taller than the Bell Tower, which was built to “replace” the iconic structure and still stands today. Figure courtesy of Lindsey Organ.

Figure 1.26 The complete Power Plant with its predecessor in the background.

Indianapolis, Indiana, was 250 feet in height, in a radial brick design, with a 15-foot interior diameter at its top (Figure 1.27). It was designed to have the capacity to meet the full build-out when the ultimate plan was completed in the future. An unusual feature was that it had 16 inspection doors arranged up the stack. These doors were included in the design so students could test the flue gas velocity, gas temperature, and obtain gas analysis through any of the doors.54 According to Power Plant Engineering, “This is, so far as is known, one of a few stacks in this country fitted with such an arrangement and it is expected that some interesting and valuable data will be obtained with regard to stack performance.”55

In the training of engineering students at a large university one of the most important assets such an institution can possess is a suitable power plant. The power plant of an engineering college is more than a means for producing power and heat; it is a laboratory where the students are taught the design, operation and testing of heating and power-station equipment.59

Ash and soot were removed from the Power Plant by way of an ash cart located on the lowest level of the plant (the ash cart is now on display on the lower level of the WALC). The ash cart moved on a track and could receive ash from the hoppers of the boilers and soot from the chimney. The cart would then take the ash and soot to a pit outside the building. The ash and soot were removed from the pit by a locomotive crane to a train car to be dumped off-site.56

The language used in the 1920s did not have a clear expression to describe this style of education, and the 1960s would most often use terms such as practical, laboratory training, or possibly hands-on. Today, active learning has become more prevalent in the vernacular to describe student-involved learning.

In the turbine room where the electricity was generated, the decision was made to first install the turbine even though a reciprocating engine would have been more logical for a plant of that size. However, it was decided for the educational purposes of Purdue students that the turbine would be installed and later followed by a reciprocating

The 1924 Power Plant was expanded per original specifications as a response to the growing demand for campus power and heat. In 1933, the second and final phase of construction was completed. The design of the boiler and generator capacity were installed as shown in the original design from 1923 (see Figures 1.30–1.32). The final addition of the

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Figure 1.28 Interior view of the 1924 Power Plant with generator.

Figure 1.29 The first phase of the 1924 Power Plant, looking east, with the 1904 Power Plant.

last boiler came in 1939, completing the engineering plan for the Power Plant as envisioned in the early 1920s. For the next twenty years, the 1924 Power Plant was the sole generator of heat and power on the Purdue campus. As use increased and the demand grew beyond what the facility could support, the University would purchase electricity from the local utility through a substation that powered the north end of campus, especially Ross– Ade Stadium and Lambert Field House.

Figure 1.30 The 1924 Power Plant when the total plan was completed, circa 1930s.

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Throughout most of its active life, coal was brought to the Power Plant by a train that wound through campus (see Figure 1.33). The tracks spanned from South Campus and entered North Campus at State Street, near University Street. Here, it ran parallel to University Street while passing behind University Hall. At Memorial Gymnasium (now Felix Haas Hall), the tracks ran east to the Power Plant before curving north again to the new Electrical Engineering Building (see Figure 1.23). South of

Figure 1.31 The smokestack extended high above all other campus buildings.

Expanding Power South In 1960, construction began on a new heating and power plant on the far south side of campus. The new plant was identified as Heating and Power Plant–South (HPS) while the 1924 Power Plant was designated Heating and Power Plant–North (HPN). HPS came online in 1962. For the first five or six years, HPN was still the main power and steam plant, with HPS only running during the winter months. In 1968, the transition of primary power plants was completed with the installation of Boiler #2 in HPS, and centrifugal steam Chillers 1, 2, 3, and 4 were added with the further build-out of Chillers 5 and 6 in 1970 in HPS.60 Figure 1.32 When its final phase was complete, the Power Plant reflected the original design from 1923 that was planned with expansion in mind. Image from Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925).

Figure 1.33 Train car near coal hopper. The 1904 plant is to the left and the 1924 plant is to the right. Image from Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925).

the Power Plant was a concrete hopper where the train would dump coal from the bottom of the railroad cars. In the hopper, it would be pulverized to a size small enough to fire the boilers. During the 1970s, the need to construct buildings throughout campus caused difficulties in maintaining the train tracks. The engine that brought the coal to the Power Plant was rendered obsolete in favor of dump trucks that did not rely on the rail lines to supply coal. In 1992, the engine was donated to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, Indiana. Those who remember the crane on campus recall having to stop or speak loudly when it passed by their building as the engine would drown out all speech and vibrate nearby buildings. This was particularly noticed in Stanley Coulter Hall, adjacent to the old Power Plant. 17

Eventually the primary missions were exchanged between HPN and HPS, with HPS becoming the primary plant and HPN in service only between November and March. In 1974, it was the intention to retire and decommission HPN. However, due to the first Middle East oil embargo and crisis, the fuel oil needed to operate recently installed new units that was previously projected to cost about $0.19 per gallon, in fact, cost four to five times that amount.61 The decision was made to continue the firing of HPN during winter months on far more economical coal fuel with Boilers 3 and 4, the fuel-oil fired (later gas-fired capable) boilers, on standby, back-up service. HPN was maintained and operated in this status for another seventeen years until it was retired in March 1991 with the commissioning after eighty-eight years of service at the central location on campus (the combination of the 1904 and 1924

power plants at that site). HPS became known as the Walter W. Wade Utility Plant in 1987.62 Although HPN no longer provided power or heat to the campus, it was still the major distribution point for the power and steam coming from HPS. Since the infrastructure was designed to emanate from HPN, it was left in place. For over twenty years, HPN sat quiet and still, nothing moving except gauges monitoring the power and electricity passing through the plant, more or less a ghost of what it had been. Parts of the building were becoming dangerous, so in the early 1990s the smokestack was taken down amidst great controversy, since the iconic feature was a landmark to students and alumni alike. President Steven C. Beering, who took seriously the challenge to return to the master plan for the campus created in the late 1920s of a beaux arts design, worked to remove streets and parking lots that had engulfed the campus. Central to this effort was the need to create a new iconic image and campus locator on the landscape. Finding inspiration in the former Heavilon tower, the Purdue Bell Tower was constructed through a gift from the Class of 1948. Standing 160 feet tall, the Bell Tower was completed in 1995,63 two years after the smokestack was taken down. The bells from the 1895 Heavilon Hall tower hang at the top of the Bell Tower after being stored since old Heavilon Hall’s demolition in 1956.64 The Bell Tower now provides a visual and audible landmark on Purdue’s campus: “electronic clappers strike the bells every hour, half-hour and at the end of classes. The tower is also equipped with an electronic carillon that plays recorded songs at various times during the day and evening and for special events on campus.”65

Figure 1.34 Formerly the Services and Stores Building, ENAD was demolished with the old Power Plant to create the space for the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.

Circa 2006, the parapet that hid the large exhaust pipes coming from the boilers to the remaining stump of the smokestack was removed since it was deemed ready to collapse and possibly endanger passing pedestrians. The result of this only increased the appearance of the old Power Plant as being an industrial building that no longer had a purpose. Despite its prominent location on campus, the building went unnoticed by most. Except for the connection it had to the Engineering Administration Building (ENAD), it did not have any campus presence.

Purdue that should not be forgotten. The building that was last known as ENAD served a major role throughout its life. ENAD occupied the lot directly north of the old Power Plant (see Figure 1.34). This building was constructed in 1928 and was originally known as the Service and Stores Building.66 ENAD’s original purpose was as storage for the University. The 1938 Debris identifies the building as “headquarters for the maintenance force, which keeps the Purdue buildings and grounds in condition.”67

Engineering Administration Building

The building has since served many purposes. In addition to storage and maintenance headquarters, the Soil and Conservation Committee rented the space, and, before the United States entered World War II, the building housed a defense program initiated by Purdue teachers who used a survey to identify Indiana’s defense industries’ needs.68

Although the focus of this essay has been the history of power and heat generation, there is also a building that has figured into the history of 18

The building became known as the Engineering Administration Building in 1953 when the administrative offices moved into the front half of the building (see Figure 1.35). Purdue’s computer science department, formed in 1962, which was the first of its kind in the United States, held classes in the facility until 1967.69 The Engineering Administration offices relocated to the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering when the building was completed in 2007. This removed the last trace of Engineering to that building. Although ENAD served as a temporary home for various campus programs, including the Purdue University Police Department; Summer Transition, Advising and Registration (STAR) program; and Center for Professional Studies in Technology and Applied Research (ProSTAR), among others, all occupants of the building were relocated from ENAD to other campus locations in preparation for the demolition of the structure in 2014.

Conclusion From its inception, Purdue has been an institution on the move. The University has continually searched for ways to improve its service to the state, the nation, and the world by educating students and undertaking research that moves the world forward. This could not have been done without the ability of the University to update its buildings and facilities as well as to incorporate new technologies including power through electricity.

not suffice, and the new, current facility, Walter W. Wade Utility Plant, or Heating and Power Plant–South, had to supplement the facility when it came online in 1962. Although this North–South duo worked in tandem for nearly three decades, the 1990s brought HPN’s decommissioning (see Figure 1.36). Figure 1.35 A rendering of ENAD. Image courtesy of CGT 460, Spring 2014, Team 1.

The succession through four power-providing facilities on Purdue’s campus demonstrates the University’s commitment to central provision of power to the grounds. The 1924 Power Plant’s predecessors, the early Boiler and Gas House, and, later, the 1904 Power Plant, quickly outgrew the capacity demanded by students, faculty, and staff. The Boiler and Gas House served the campus for thirty years while the 1904 plant was unable to meet the needs within twenty. A major advance for Purdue, the 1904 facility provided significantly more steam and also generated electricity; however, the boom in electricity use across the country rendered this facility obsolete by the early 1920s. Ever true to its community, Purdue responded to these many power crises by building bigger, better, and more advanced structures when the call came. Even the 1924 Power Plant, later Heating and Power Plant–North, could not meet the constantly growing needs despite the expansions to its full potential by 1939. Within twenty years of operating at this ultimate capacity, the 1924 building would 19

Figure 1.36 A rendering of the 1924 Power Plant. Image courtesy of CGT 460, Spring 2014, Team 2.

It is ironic that the building responsible for generating the power that enabled students to learn and faculty to undertake research could not be repurposed for another life after that for which it had been constructed. But the fact that it had served so well its role also was its greatest liability. The construction of the building relied on the installation of the boilers. The boilers supported the structure, and without the boilers, the structure had no means of support. In addition, when the 1924 plant was constructed, the use of asbestos was skyrocketing; its use to insulate boilers and hot water/steam pipes was a major way of reducing the cost of fuel. The amount of asbestos in HPN and the potential pollution of the

surrounding environment from coal and other pollutants doomed the old Power Plant to demolition. But upon that site—so important as a power generator for campus for over 100 years—will stand a building that provides the opportunity for Purdue students to learn in a dynamic, laboratory-focused way through a concept known as active learning or flipping the classroom—a role the old Power Plant held for engineering students who observed its active life from 1924 to the 1950s.

Notes 1. “Purdue University Builds New Plant,” Power Plant Engineering, 29 (September 1, 1925): 883. 2. Edmund J. I. Ames, The Origin of the Land Grant Act of 1862 (the So-Called Morrill Act) and Some Account of its Author, Jonathan B. Turner (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1910), 14. 3. Ibid. 4. Act of July 2, 1862 (Morrill Act), Public Law 37-108, which established land grant colleges, 07/02/1862; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789–1996; Record Group 11; General Records of the United States Government; National Archives. 5. Ibid. 6. Library of Congress, “Morrill Act,” https://www.loc .gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/. 7. Our Documents, “Morrill Act (1862),” https://www .ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=33. 8. Library of Congress, “Morrill Act.” 9. Laws, “Morrill Act,” http://government-programs.laws .com/morrill-act. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. David R. Nye, Electrifying America: Social Meanings of a New Technology, 1880–1940 (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1990), 382.

15. Ibid., 170. 16. Ibid., 1. 17. Ibid. 18. Ibid., 7. 19. Ibid. 20. Ibid., 13. 21. Ibid.; see the Institute for Energy Research’s “History of Electricity” for a full description of electricity use in America: http://instituteforenergyresearch.org/history -electricity/. 22. Nye, Electrifying America, 26. 23. Ibid., 382. 24. Ibid., 17. 25. Ibid., 18. 26. Ibid. 27. Ibid., 254. 28. Ibid. 29. Ibid., 265. 30. Christopher H. Sterling and John M. Kittross, Stay Tuned: A History of American Broadcasting (Mahwah, NJ: Routledge, 2002), 67. 31. CBS Pittsburgh, “KDKA’s Historic Broadcast,” http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/03/08/kdkas-historic -broadcast/. 32. Sterling, Stay Tuned, 67. 33. Ibid., 74. 34. Nye, Electrifying America, 21–22. 35. WBAA, “WBAA History,” http://wbaa.org/topic /wbaa-history. 36. Ibid. 37. “Purdue University Builds New Plant,” 876. 38. Ibid. 39. Ibid. 40. Telegram, Indiana National Guard, Harry E. McIvor, Captain Field Artillery, February 24, 1916, Indiana State Archives. 41. “Purdue University Builds New Plant,” 876. 42. Ibid. 43. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, April 25, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 17. 44. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, October 10, 1923, Board of Trustees 20

Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 9. 45. “Purdue University Builds New Plant,” 877. 46. Ibid. 47. Ibid. 48. Ibid. 49. Ibid., 878. 50. Ibid., 879. 51. Ibid. 52. Ibid., 880. 53. Ibid. 54. Ibid., 881. While some statements given by architect Walter Scholer give the height of the smokestack as 275 feet, most other sources, including several technical reports, state the height as 250 feet. As the technical reports were conducted to analyze the final structure, the height of 250 feet is used throughout A Purdue Icon. 55. Ibid. 56. Ibid. 57. Ibid., 883. 58. Ibid. 59. Ibid., 876. 60. Here, I reference anecdotal information provided in communication with Bruce High, Walter W. Wade Utility Plant manager. 61. Ibid. 62. Ibid. 63. Amanda Hamon, “Did You Know?: Bells in the Purdue Bell Tower,” Purdue Today, November 15, 2013, http:// www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow /2013/Q4/did-you-know-bells-in-the-purdue-bell-tower .html. 64. Ibid. 65. Ibid. 66. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, January 4, 1928, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 1. 67. Debris (n.p., 1938), 10. 68. Hannah Harper, “Did You Know?: Engineering Administration Building and Retired Heating and Power Plant–North,” Purdue Today, April 11, 2014, http://www .purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2014

/Q2/did-you-know-engineering-administration-building -and-retired-heating-and-power-plant-north.html. 69. “More about CS at Purdue,” Purdue Alumnus 102 (March/April 2013), http://purdue.imodules.com/s/1461 /alumnus/index.aspx?sid=1461&gid=1001&pgid=1040.

Bibliography Act of July 2, 1862 (Morrill Act), Public Law 37-108, which established land grant colleges, 07/02/1862; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789–1996; Record Group 11; General Records of the United States Government; National Archives. https://research .archives.gov/id/299817. Ames, Edmund J. I. The Origin of the Land Grant Act of 1862 (the So-Called Morrill Act) and Some Account of its Author, Jonathan B. Turner. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1910. https://archive.org/stream/originof landgran01jame/originoflandgran01jame_djvu.txt. CBS Pittsburgh. “KDKA’s Historic Broadcast.” March 8, 2012. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/03/08/kdkas -historic-broadcast/.

Debris. n.p., 1938. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/26094. Hamon, Amanda. “Did You Know?: Bells in the Purdue Bell Tower.” Purdue Today, November 15, 2013. http://www. purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2013/ Q4/did-you-know-bells-in-the-purdue-bell-tower.html. Harper, Hannah. “Did You Know?: Engineering Administration Building and Retired Heating and Power Plant–North.” Purdue Today, April 11, 2014. http://www .purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/didyouknow/2014 /Q2/did-you-know-engineering-administration-building -and-retired-heating-and-power-plant-north.html. Laws. “Morrill Act.” http://government-programs.laws.com /morrill-act. Library of Congress. “Morrill Act.” https://www.loc.gov/rr /program/bib/ourdocs/. “More about CS at Purdue,” Purdue Alumnus 102 (March/ April 2013). http://purdue.imodules.com/s/1461/alumnus /index.aspx?sid=1461&gid=1001&pgid=1040. Nye, David R. Electrifying America: Social Meanings of a New Technology, 1880–1940. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1990. Our Documents. “Morrill Act (1862).” https://www.our documents.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=33.

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Purdue University Board of Trustees. Board of Trustees Minutes, April 25, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref /collection/bot/id/2094. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, October 10, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/9300. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, January 4, 1928. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/10444. “Purdue University Builds New Plant.” Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925). Sterling, Christopher H., and John M. Kittross. Stay Tuned: A History of American Broadcasting. Mahwah, NJ: Routledge, 2002.  Telegram. Indiana National Guard, Harry E. McIvor, Captain Field Artillery. February 24, 1916. Indiana State Archives. WBAA. “WBAA History.” http://wbaa.org/topic/wbaa -history.

ESSAY 2 SETTING THE STAGE: A PIVOTAL TIME FOR PLANNING AND DESIGN AT PURDUE

{

}

Eugene R. Hatke, Senior Architect, Purdue University Physical Facilities (Retired) Jeffrey A. Rhodes, Senior Architect, Purdue University Physical Facilities, Asset Management Unit

Editor’s Note: In this essay, the Power Plant will be referred to as the Power Plant, 1924 Power Plant, Heating and Power Plant, or Heating and Power Plant–North. All images in this essay are courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center unless otherwise stated.

Great similarities exist in the development stories of most college and university campuses in the United States. Any discussion of a specific campus could benefit from an exploration of this context and an understanding of the dynamics of campus architecture nationwide from the early nineteenth century through most of the twentieth.

were Gothic elements included, but, more often than not, the campus visual identity was tied to a consistent palette of materials, coloration, massing, and other features that would provide a sense of unity throughout. This was facilitated by the common practice of selecting from a very short list of professional firms to design these buildings.

A desire to emulate the storied universities of Europe, in general, and England, in particular, led educators in the United States to copy even the architecture of those institutions. As a result, many colleges and universities throughout the United States erected buildings in a Gothic Revival style that came to be known in this country as “University Gothic.” While not all colleges moved in this direction, there remains a fairly consistent story associated with a great number of campuses, large and small, across this country.

As on other campuses, the earliest buildings at Purdue spoke to their time.1 Some were more embellished than others, but most were constructed of durable materials that would age well. Only University Hall (formerly called the Main Building [see Figure 2.1]) and David C. Pfendler Hall of Agriculture (formerly called Agricultural Hall and later Entomology Hall [see Figure 2.2]) remain of those first few structures, but it is easy to recognize in these buildings a vocabulary that has been respected since they first graced the early campus.

It would have been virtually impossible for founders and early administrators of our nation’s universities to foresee just what their fledgling institutions might become. Consequently, very few campuses benefited from conscientious planning or determinations of what architectural style would eventually grace these developments. A common feature on campuses across the United States today, in fact, is “Old Main,” a single building that once contained the original institution in its entirety. In many cases, there was a distinct lack of vision beyond this building. For this reason, most campuses began with an eye on each building as it came along and little concern for what the campus would eventually resemble. In time, though, a dominant visual identity emerged on many campuses. Perhaps there

Of the Purdue facilities that date from the late 1800s through the early 1920s, more than a dozen were the product of the Indianapolis-based architectural firm founded by Robert Platt Daggett in 1868, continued by his son, Robert Frost Daggett, and later by his grandson, Robert Frost Daggett, Jr.3 This contributed to the consistency that prevailed on campus for decades. The Daggett firm was highly successful, designing a large number of buildings for Indiana University, Butler University, DePauw University, Eli Lilly, as well as other notable structures throughout the Indianapolis area. The firm continued to be active until 1977.4 In 1920, Purdue trustee and benefactor David Ross became acquainted with a young architect 24

Figure 2.1 University Hall, formerly the Main Building, is the oldest remaining structure on Purdue’s campus, completed in 1877. The building housed the president’s office, a chapel, and a library, but the Department of History now calls it home. It underwent several rounds of renovations in 1923, 1960, and 2007.2

Figure 2.2 David. C Pfendler Hall of Agriculture, formerly Agricultural Hall and later Entomology Hall, was completed in 1902 for the College of Agriculture. The building saw major renovations in the early 2000s.

named Walter Scholer (see Figure 2.3), a partner in the relatively new local firm of [Charles W.] Nicol, Scholer, and [Frank] Hoffman. The firm was designing Ross’s office building in downtown

Figure 2.3 Walter Scholer (far left) was involved in the design of the 1924 Power Plant at a pivotal time in the history of the Purdue campus development. His impact on the shape of the campus itself, as well as the architecture on campus, cannot be overstated.

Lafayette (308 Main Street, David E. Ross Building [see Figure 2.4]) and, in its short fiveyear history,5 designed several notable buildings throughout the Midwest, including the venerable LaSalle Hotel that still stands in downtown South Bend and the Long Center (formerly called the Mars Theater [see Figure 2.5]) in downtown Lafayette. The first commission this firm completed for Purdue was a campus development plan, commonly referred to by the trustees and others as the “fifty-year plan.” This project was the work of Scholer who, along with his design, would go on to shape the Purdue campus for every bit of the fifty years predicted by the campus development plan. In reality, the plan grew out of Ross’s desire to justify the land purchase northwest of campus for the eventual development of a football stadium.6 Regardless of its intent, the ultimate impact of the

Figure 2.4 The David E. Ross Building, located at 308 Main Street in Lafayette, Indiana, was designed by Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman. Image courtesy of Alexandra Hoff.

Figure 2.5 Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman also designed the Long Center (formerly called the Mars Theater) in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, as well as a number of buildings, mostly hotels, throughout the Midwest. Image courtesy of the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

plan is legendary within the Purdue community (see Figure 2.6).

replaced an even earlier one, making the 1924 structure at least the third plant on campus.

The Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman firm lasted only from circa 1920 until 1925, and it appears from records in the Purdue Physical Plant that they may have designed only one building for Purdue. That building was a power plant, designed to replace the outgrown plant constructed in 1903 and put into service in 1904. The 1904 plant had, in fact,

The design of the 1924 Power Plant came at such a pivotal time in the development of campus that it is difficult to discuss outside the context of the development of the larger campus. How much involvement Scholer had in the design of the building is unknown, but in a 1971 interview with Roy Smith and Verne Freeman, transcribed and published as The

25

West Lafayette campus. University Hall (see Figures 2.1 and 2.7), the oldest remaining building on campus, has a strong Gothic flavor, as does Purdue Memorial Union (see Figure 2.8), which was ready for partial use in 1924.9 Both facilities were designed by firms other than Walter Scholer Associates. Scholer did design a few buildings with a Gothic flair, most notably residence halls Franklin Levering Cary Quadrangle (formerly called Franklin Levering Cary Hall [see Figure 2.9]) and the Windsor Halls women’s complex (see Figure 2.10). The firm’s work in the academic areas of campus, however, moved in a slightly different direction. Figure 2.6 A century of master planning for the Purdue West Lafayette campus. The original Scholer plan remains very much in evidence within the later plans. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

Building of a Red Brick Campus: The Growth of Purdue as Recalled by Walter Scholer, Scholer discussed some of the issues associated with the foundation for the 250-foot-tall smokestack.7 It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that he was at least a part of the design team. Furthermore, as the building marked the transition from the Daggett firm to Scholer’s firm, and as it came nearly concurrent with the campus development plan, campus architecture both before and after the Power Plant is relevant to its story. About this time, the men of Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman began to part ways: Nicol decided to move into the growing Chicago market, and Hoffman left for Racine, Wisconsin.8 Both established successful firms of their own. Scholer opened

a new firm in Lafayette that continues today as the Scholer Corporation. Until the 1990s, it was the nearly exclusive designer of major projects for Purdue University, and they remain involved in many campus projects today. The firm works closely with the University for planning purposes and as an architectural consultant for projects involving other design firms. So Scholer’s impact on the West Lafayette campus, which began with a plan to illustrate the relationship between the campus core and a proposed stadium location nearly one hundred years ago, has since continued uninterrupted. While Gothic Revival became the predominant architectural style on many campuses across the United States, it never gained a foothold on the 26

As the University trustees engaged the newly formed Scholer firm to design several buildings in the mid- and late 1920s, Scholer began to establish a more refined style for the academic areas of campus that is more Renaissance in flavor. This approach is best exemplified in buildings surrounding the Purdue Mall, including the Electrical and

Figure 2.7 University Hall was designed by R. P. Daggett & Company. Its Gothic features include the pointed tower and arched windows.

Figure 2.8 Purdue Memorial Union’s south doors feature a large arch, linking it to the Gothic Revival style. This building was built throughout the 1920s and was designed by Pond and Pond.

Figure 2.10 Windsor Halls is another display of Scholer’s Gothic designs on the residential side of campus.

Figure 2.11 The Electrical Engineering Building of 1923 presents the Renaissance style that is commonly seen on most academic buildings at Purdue. The long row of windows on each level create columns of brick, topped with limestone.

Figure 2.9 Cary Quadrangle, designed by Scholer, is one of the nonacademic structures that exhibits the Gothic flair with the two towers flanking the front entrance.

Mechanical Engineering Buildings (see Figures 2.11 and 2.12) and the Physics Building (see Figure 2.13). These facades are classical in their arrangement. They have an obvious base, middle, and capital, much like a classic column. There is a distinct pattern in their window arrangement and vertical 27

Figure 2.12 Like its neighbor, the Mechanical Engineering Building of 1929 features long rows of windows with limestone trim encircling the building. The building also has a limestone arch over the main entrance.

Figure 2.13 The columns created by the window arrangement on the Physics Building of 1940 further connect this structure to those surrounding it in the Engineering Mall.

components that accentuate this rhythm along the facade, which also provides a pleasing depth. Unfortunately, the need for rapid growth following World War II led most institutions to introduce a subtle shift in their established campus style. This

EARLY PURDUE ARCHITECTURE Robert Daggett and Sons

Pond and Pond

to house the Purdue Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and Matthews Hall (formerly called the Home

R. P. Daggett & Company designed what today is the

Economics Building [see Figure 2.15]), which became

oldest building on the Purdue campus, University Hall,

one of the last buildings on campus designed by the

dating from 1877. University Hall (see Figures 2.1 and

firm. This building shows a shift away from heavy

2.7) is also the most Gothic of the academic facilities.

ornamentation of their earlier buildings.

Robert Platt Daggett started his firm in 1868, working

Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman

The esteemed firm of Pond and Pond was selected to design the Purdue Memorial Union (see Figure 2.8) at about the time Scholer was making his first appearances on campus. This facility bears a striking resemblance to the Union Building at the University of Michigan.

just under his name.10 For a brief time, the firm name was Daggett and Roth, and then, about the time

Although Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman did not make

University Hall was designed, it became R. P. Daggett

a significant mark on the Purdue University campus

& Company.11 Robert Platt Daggett retired in 1912,

beyond the Power Plant, the firm designed both

and the firm became Robert Frost Daggett, Architect,

the David E. Ross Building (see Figure 2.4) and the

run by his son.12

Long Center (see Figure 2.5) in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, along with a number of buildings, mostly

Among the structures Daggett designed for Purdue

hotels, throughout the Midwest.

are the Armory (see Figure 2.14), which continues

Figure 2.14 The Purdue Armory was designed by R. P. Daggett & Company in 1918. The building has more ornamentation than many of the Scholer buildings would have. Its wide, arched windows and large door add to its features.

Walter Scholer With the exception of University Hall (see Figures 2.1 and 2.7), the Gothic style appears to have been reserved for nonacademic buildings. The buildings of Cary Quadrangle (see Figure 2.9) and Windsor Halls (see Figure 2.10), the first male and female dormitories on campus, are clearly of Gothic influence.

Figure 2.15 Matthews Hall of 1923 was one of the last buildings Daggett designed at Purdue. The limestone columns at each entrance demonstrate the ornamentation that was largely eliminated in the Scholer era.

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Figure 2.16 The Agricultural Engineering Building, built in 1928, has more ornamentation than the later Scholer designs, such as the limestone-arched windows that span the lower level of the front face that are not present on many following projects.

The early buildings by Walter Scholer and Associates showed a tendency toward more heavy ornamentation than their later buildings did, as seen in the Agricultural Engineering Building (see Figure 2.16). In recent years, the firm name has been changed to the Scholer Corporation. By 1928, Scholer was moving toward a much less ornamented and more refined Renaissance flavor, as shown in the Engineering Administration Building (see Figure 2.17). This building also was demolished, along with the 1924 Power Plant, to make way for the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.

growth was needed to house, feed, and teach a rapidly expanding number of students and required more buildings, along with the infrastructure to support them. Economics also played a part and, as a result, much of the richness that had characterized campus architecture in the past was lost, or at least diminished. A quick glance at a typical Purdue building of the 1960s illustrates the shift in focus from that of programmatically similar buildings designed thirty to forty years earlier. Purdue, however, fared better than many institutions in that a basic respect for form and order was maintained so that a certain unity throughout campus was preserved. It has been a commonly held philosophy of the University administration and the Scholer firm that the entire campus should form a living entity rather than a group of buildings competing among themselves.

Figure 2.18 The 1874 Boiler and Gas House served as the campus heating and gas-making plant until 1903 and is the earliest known structure to serve this purpose on campus.18

A History of Purdue Heating and Power Plants

Figure 2.17 The Engineering Administration Building was built in 1928 as the Services and Stores Building. The arched windows gracing the top level of this building closely resemble the large, arched windows of Heating and Power Plant–North, pictured here to its right. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

The 1924 Power Plant, designed by Scholer, was at least the third structure built on Purdue’s campus to supply the growing demand for power and heat. The first known plant at Purdue was constructed during the first year of classes in 1874 and was known as the Boiler and Gas House, or the Engine House (see Figures 2.18 and 2.19).13 As described by George Ade in a letter to Purdue “neophytes” on September 11, 1940, in “an open-tower surrounding the combination heating plant and gas making plant—a brick one-story building with [a] basement west of the old Main Building and about half-way between the old Dorm and Ladies 29

Figure 2.19 In addition to the cupola on the Boiler and Gas House, note the articulation at the top of the smokestack. The structure was built of durable materials that complement the balance of campus. This was a day when every building, regardless of use, had the potential of being “architecture.”

Hall which was on the site of the present Home Economics building,”14 was a bell that would ring in the morning to wake students and throughout the day to signal classes and chapel. Despite suffering a

following meeting on June 12, the Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman firm was approved to complete the building plans, and the site for the plant, proposed on Scholer’s campus blueprints, was accepted.21 The results of President Elliott’s requested investigation were presented at the July 20 Board of Trustees meeting, and it was determined that the cost of maintaining a campus power plant was more economical for the University and also provided benefits for students’ education.22 The Power Plant’s approval, and the funds, totaling $275,000, soon followed.23 By the December 21 Board of Trustees meeting that year, construction was already underway on the foundation and coal storage track.24

partial burning in July 1877,15 this structure served as the campus power plant until 1903. The fire damaged the original bell, and its remains were sold. The Purdue Board of Trustees approved purchasing a new bell as a replacement.16 Upon demolition, the bell housed in the cupola was removed and became known as the Victory Bell, which was wheeled around at football games. A small shed (see Figure 2.20) housed the Victory Bell and its wagon until it became a nuisance, Ade writes, and President Stone ordered it to be buried in a gravel pit. The Class of 1907 recovered and restored the bell, and it has since held a place at Purdue football games.17

Figure 2.21 In 1904, a new power plant was put in service to replace the older, smaller one. This plant incorporated more architectural detail than the 1874 plant. This appears to be a common level of detail in buildings, even industrial, in the early twentieth century. Figure 2.20 The Victory Bell House held the Victory Bell and its carriage between games.

Purdue’s Need for the Heating and Power Plant Although the 1904 Power Plant (see Figure 2.21) produced and distributed more power and heat than its predecessor, the University’s rapid student and faculty growth required more than the plant could supply. On April 25, 1923, the Purdue Board of

Trustees met and discussed the options for bringing more power to campus. President Edward C. Elliott requested an investigation, also required by law to receive state funds for construction, to determine if purchasing utilities from a service plant would be more economical than “installing, constructing, equipping and maintaining service plants to furnish heat, light, power and water.”19 It was at this April meeting that President Elliott suggested the firm of Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman be employed to prepare plans for the Power Plant as well as the Electrical Engineering Building.20 During the 30

Throughout 1924, construction progressed (see Figure 2.22), and the University prepared for its use by negotiating a new coal contract25 and assigning staff and faculty to oversee operations.26 In January 1925, the Board of Trustee’s Committee on Buildings conducted their final inspection of the Heating and Power Plant (see Figure 2.23), which was already functioning.27

Figure 2.22 Before construction was completed, the size of the smokestack was visible and was evidence for the growing need of power on campus.

plant. This building required a different kind of space. The dominant area within the building was a large equipment room with an extremely high ceiling and the need for abundant natural light as well as the capacity to dissipate and exhaust the heat that was produced. Additionally, the electrical generating equipment required a team of workers to tend to the machines around the clock, feeding them coal and maintaining the delicate balance of their operation. The lighting needs were particularly critical in the days when high levels of artificial lighting were not practical (see Figure 2.24). Across the west facade, there was a row of large, arched windows (see Figure 2.25), taking on a somewhat Romanesque visage.

Figure 2.24 It was necessary to introduce oversized windows for adequate light and ventilation. The natural light streamed in through the tall windows spanning the east, north, and south walls.

On closer inspection, it is clear that, despite this deviation from the motif of surrounding buildings, the Power Plant conformed to the same rules as its more Renaissance neighbors. Figure 2.23 The power plant designed by Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman went into service in the center of campus in 1924. Note the decorative masonry work near the top of the smokestack.

Designing the Heating and Power Plant While the facilities surrounding Purdue Mall are predominantly occupied by classrooms, laboratories, and offices, a power plant is an entirely different class of facility. Many can relate to the space required for an office, a classroom, and even a research laboratory. Few, however, are familiar with the magnitude of equipment housed within a power

The windows are located in an orderly pattern, there is depth to the facade, and the base-shaft-capital motif is recreated. The individual components, in turn, subscribe to traditional practice. This is most obvious with the large, arched windows, which follow the pattern of the therme (tair-may) windows that date from the ancient Roman baths. In fact, the word therme comes from the Latin “thermal,” owing to its origin in those facilities. While the building was known for the large, arched windows, they really only occurred on the lower, front segment of the building. Around the high bay space, tall, narrow windows helped to accentuate the verticality of the composition, keeping in line with the likening of the building itself to a classical column. 31

Figure 2.25 A Romanesque style is evidenced in the arched windows along the west face of the Power Plant and ENAD.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE POWER PLANT The east face of the plant (see Figure 2.23) clearly illustrates the modulation of the facade into a classical pattern. The building base forms a strong pedestal with dado detailing. Above this, the main body of the building has tall windows between pilasters. The pilasters are complete with stone capitals supporting a continuous entablature. The entablature, in turn, is made up of a stone architrave, an unadorned frieze of brick, and a protruding cornice. Traditionally, the cornice forms the very top of the building, but in this case, a common technique for extending the facade while preserving the proportions has been incorporated. This is not a true parapet, because it encloses interior space, and it even has its own windows. The height of the building needed to be somewhat greater than most of the buildings around it, but the impact of this was softened by the detailing, which effectively broke down the mass. In addition, the west face was given a smaller and more human-scaled portion that would relate better to the surrounding buildings. Materials and how they were used were the same as on other campus buildings, so the plant could integrate into the campus as a whole.

The unique requirements of a power plant imposed very real challenges on the design and construction of the building, as well as on its continued operation. Not only was the architecture of the building an issue, but its operation was an extremely dirty endeavor. A rail line into the heart of campus delivered coal that was stockpiled just outside the building. In addition, the ash that was an inevitable product of the constant combustion needed to be removed on a regular basis. Heavy equipment was required to load, unload, and move these materials. The task of distributing the product of the plant, primarily steam, dictated in those days that the source of these products be close to their point of use. Therefore, it was not feasible to hide the facility any significant distance from the heart of campus. The Power Plant would become a fixture of the campus core, while the rail spur became a campus tradition. A lesson had been learned from the earlier facilities. A heating and power facility, along with the necessary distribution system, could introduce a very cluttered, and even ugly, element. It was in conjunction with the 1904 plant decommissioning that Purdue embarked on an effort to put this distribution system wholly underground in a system of tunnels that allowed easy access for maintenance and upgrading of these buried utilities. This tunnel system became the envy of many campuses that chose the less expensive approach of direct bury for their distribution system. The Power Plant further complemented the surrounding campus buildings in its use of materials. Most buildings on campus prior to the Power Plant were predominantly redbrick. Scholer recognized the ready availability of this material in the area 32

and appreciated its long-term economy. As a result, redbrick with limestone trim continued into the Scholer era as the unifying visual element of the West Lafayette campus. Furthermore, it should be noted that visually appealing architecture is more than material selection and details. The Power Plant was a symphony of balance and proportion. Architects today who would never dream of designing a traditional building nonetheless realize the inherent value of classic proportions and composition. The very shape of a building has a major impact on its visual rightness. Every student of architecture studies the ancient temples that so elegantly display the principles developed by the Greek masters and expanded by the Romans. The 1924 Power Plant clearly brought that sense of visual rightness with it to the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University. There was much about the 1924 Power Plant to appreciate. It stood as a peer among the academic facilities it was built to serve and did so at a prominent site at the core of the campus. Its contents were very much integral with its structure, similar to the manner in which older libraries were often supported by the stacks that made up their core. But there were fascinating details as well. There was, for instance, a miniature system of gutters and downspouts at the interior windowsills designed to carry away condensation from the large windows. Special note should also be made of the smokestack. Some would suggest that it is due to Purdue’s land-grant and engineering traditions that something as industrial in character as a smokestack

could become as highly prized as the Purdue Stack. It was not ignored, even by its designers, as evidenced by the decorative brickwork near its top (see Figure 2.26). It became a beloved campus landmark, despite representing the real nuts and bolts of the campus operation. Likely, the architectural considerations it received contributed at least partially to this phenomenon.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE When considering examples of Renaissance

The Palazzo Farnese in Rome (see Figure

architecture, it is tempting to envision monumental

2.27) is a prime example of the essence of early

structures such as St. Peter’s Basilica or any of

sixteenth-century Renaissance architecture. The

the Romanesque churches. Certainly, many of the

horizontal division of the facade, coupled with

grand structures that incorporated classic ele-

the darker stone on the lower portion, provides

ments from previous eras are etched in our visual

a visually more substantial base for the building.

memories. The true mark of the Renaissance,

This reduces the apparent mass of the building

however, lies in the elegantly refined facades of

and provides an increased horizontality. The

the many palazzi, or palaces, that line the streets

stacked windows add order and a shifting hierarchy

and courtyards of the major cities of Italy. These

from bottom to top with the varied trim packages.

buildings exhibit finely detailed horizontal banding

Ornamentation is reserved for the function of

that divides the facades in carefully determined

emphasizing the building entrance.

proportion. This horizontal treatment is then balanced with stacked windows that provide a subtle

The remains of the Baths of Caracalla in Rome

verticality. The overall effect remains reserved,

(see Figure 2.28) illustrate how effectively masonry

allowing for entrances and other points of import to

arches were used to provide large openings in

be accented with historic elements such as column

major public structures. In addition to their basic

supported porticos, and so forth.

function, they also add a sense of monumentality.

Figure 2.26 The smokestack featured more decorative brickwork at its apex than many structures of its purpose display.

The casual observer today, who is accustomed to highly functional buildings, may ask why such elaborate architectural muscles should be exercised for a building of this nature. The short answer is that it was a different time. Note that the previous two power plants on campus had been constructed of similar materials and, while not as finely detailed, still exhibited a degree of architectural grace. But

Figure 2.27 Rome’s Palazzo Farnese displays the Renaissance style that is present in many structures on Purdue’s campus. Image courtesy of Myrabella, Wikimedia Commons.28

33

Figure 2.28 The arches and large towers are still visible among the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. Image courtesy of David Edgar, Wikimedia Commons.29

each of those previous facilities had a capacity that limited its useful life to twenty-five years or less. Certainly, today, the prospect of such a short-term building would be an even greater reason to construct it in a manner more fitting to its life expectancy. Perhaps society at that time simply played by different rules. Note this excerpt from Talbot Hamlin’s Architecture Through the Ages: Yet mere constructive ability was not enough. It might help to build those great aqueducts which furnished all the Roman cities with ample water, to bridge rivers, and to cover warehouses, but if it did no more than that the Roman was still unsatisfied. Out of this engineering necessity, he must, by careful design and beautiful proportions, produce beauty as well as use, and the secret of Roman organization is as much aesthetic as it is practical. It is this combination of use, structure, and beauty which makes utilitarian engineering become architecture; and in Roman life the architect played an important and dignified role. We are fortunate in possessing the ten books on architecture written by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio sometime during the reign of Augustus; and, though they have little in them about the great Roman vaulted structures which were the glory of the later Empire, they are nevertheless a mine of information about the Roman attitude toward

architecture and the professional positon which the architect held. His chapters concerning the education of the architect and the architect’s professional duties and responsibilities are almost as applicable today as they were nearly 2000 years ago, and it is interesting to see that to Vitruvious architecture has always the triple essence mentioned above—constructive strength, practical utility, and aesthetic effect, or, as Sir Henry Wotton quaintly worded it, “commodity, firmness, and delight.”30 Given that this plant served the campus for more than twice the life of either of the previous plants, we are fortunate that its designers had enough respect for the Purdue campus and for us, its users and observers, to provide such commodity, firmness, and delight.

Figure 2.29 With its grey walls and lack of ornamentation and windows, the Walter W. Wade Utility Plant demonstrates its more utilitarian purpose.

was it torn down instead of becoming the subject of an adaptive reuse?

Obviously, the later and current power plant (Walter W. Wade Utility Plant), which occupies a site south of campus, was conceived as a more purely utilitarian facility. In response to the more modern architecture idiom “form follows function,” it is clad in sheet metal with considerably less concern for its appearance than those earlier facilities that needed to be in the heart of campus (see Figure 2.29). It is a credit to the Purdue administration that an even more recent facility, the northwest satellite chiller plant, was designed appropriately for its more on-campus location.

As previously mentioned, the building and the equipment it housed were very much integral. One could even say that the facade was a mere wrapping for the equipment within. It would have been nearly impossible to separate the two in a manner that would allow the structure to remain. Programmatically, the volume did not lend itself to the space needs identified for the new building. Even a greatly enhanced budget would not have allowed this to happen in a manner that would do justice to the needs of the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center. It was with great regret that those responsible for the project moved beyond the concept of restoration, renovation, or any other form of reuse.

One question still remains: If the old Power Plant provided such stunning architectural delight, why

The task that remained, then, was to do justice to the site. The smokestack that had once provided

34

a visual landmark to the entire community had already been replaced by a handsome bell tower that more appropriately marks the campus center. Now the opportunity existed to provide another landmark, an architectural statement equal in grace to the building that was becoming a mere memory: the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.

Notes 1. The 1898 campus map (Figure 1.14) shows the first buildings on Purdue’s campus, including the nowdemolished Military Hall, Ladies Hall, Pharmacy Building, and others. West of the Main Building, now University Hall, was the Engine House, or Boiler and Gas House, built in 1874. This served as the first source of heat and power on campus until it was demolished in 1904. 2. Purdue Reamer Club, A University of Tradition: The Spirit of Purdue (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2013), 269. 3. Charles Latham, processor, April 5, 1993, Finding Aid, Daggett Architectural Firm Records, 1869–1977, Indiana Historical Society Manuscripts and Archives, 2. 4. Ibid., 2. 5. Scholer Corporation, The Building of a Red Brick Campus: The Growth of Purdue as Recalled by Walter Scholer (Lafayette, IN: Tippecanoe County Historical Association, 1983), 9. 6. Ibid., 10. 7. Ibid., 71. While statements given by architect Walter Scholer in this source give the height of the smokestack as 275 feet, most other sources, including several technical reports, state the height as 250 feet. As the technical reports were conducted to analyze the final structure, the height of 250 feet is used throughout A Purdue Icon. 8. Ibid., 29. 9. Purdue Reamer Club, University of Tradition, 74. 10. Latham, Daggett Architectural Firm Records, 2. 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid.

13. William Murray Hepburn and Louis Martin Sears, Purdue University: Fifty Years of Progress (Indianapolis: The Hollenbeck Press, 1925), 39. 14. George Ade to Purdue Students, Customs and Traditions: Old Oaken Bucket, September 11, 1940, Purdue University Athletics Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 1. 15. Hepburn and Sears, Purdue University, 71. 16. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, September 4, 1877, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 6. 17. Ade, Customs and Traditions, 1. 18. Ibid. 19. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, April 25, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 17. 20. Ibid., 31. 21. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, June 12, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 30. 22. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, July 20, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 6. 23. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, October 10, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 9. 24. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, December 21, 1923, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 7. 25. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, July 29, 1924, Board of Trustees Minutes

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Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 21. 26. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, October 8, 1924, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 15. 27. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, January 16, 1925, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 25. 28. By Myrabella (Own work) (GFDL (http://www .gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons. 29. By David Edgar (Own work) (GFDL (http://www .gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons. 30. Talbot Hamlin, Architecture Through the Ages (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1953), 150.

Bibliography Ade, George to Purdue Students, Customs and Traditions: Old Oaken Bucket. September 11, 1940, Purdue University Athletics Collection. The Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/puath/id/2647. Hamlin, Talbot. Architecture Through the Ages. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1953. Hepburn, William Murray, and Louis Martin Sears. Purdue University: Fifty Years of Progress. Indianapolis: The Hollenbeck Press, 1925. Latham, Charles, processor. April 5, 1993. Finding Aid, Daggett Architectural Firm Records, 1869–1977. Indiana Historical Society Manuscripts and Archives. http://www .indianahistory.org/our-collections/collection-guides /daggett-architectural-firm-records-1869-1977.pdf.

Scholer Corporation. The Building of a Red Brick Campus: The Growth of Purdue as Recalled by Walter Scholer. Lafayette, IN: Tippecanoe County Historical Association, 1983. Purdue Reamer Club. A University of Tradition: The Spirit of Purdue. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 2013. Purdue University Board of Trustees. Board of Trustees Minutes, September 4, 1877. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref /collection/bot/id/20137. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, April 25, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/2094.

———. Board of Trustees Minutes, June 12, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/743. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, July 20, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/655. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, October 10, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/9300. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, December 21, 1923. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly

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Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/9405. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, July 29, 1924. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/9059. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, October 8, 1924. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/8781. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, January 16, 1925. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/9384.

ESSAY 3 THE “SPLENDIDLY DESIGNED” POWER PLANT: FROM SYMBOL OF MODERNITY TO BELOVED ICON

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Susan Curtis, Professor, Purdue University Departments of History, American Studies, and Religious Studies Kristina Bross, Associate Professor of English, Associate Dean of Research and Creative Endeavors, Honors College

Editor’s Note: In this essay, the name Power Plant is used to describe the 1924 structure. This is sometimes shortened to “plant.” All images in this essay are courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center unless otherwise stated.

On August 3, 1925, the Purdue University Board of Trustees met to conduct its business before the beginning of the new school year. Among the items on the agenda was a final report made by H. J. Meyer of the Charles L. Pillsbury Company regarding the “Construction of New Heating and Power Plant and Steam Heat Distribution System.” The engineering firm had been hired to check everything from the boilers to the smokestack to certify that the plant had been constructed to the highest standards and would supply power sufficient for the needs of the young institution. Meyer reported that in his inspection of the new plant, he had found that it was “decidedly modern in every respect” and that it contained equipment of “the highest grade obtainable.”1 He praised the structure’s pleasing appearance, noting approvingly that it offered “the same beautiful architectural appearance as any other building” on campus even though it housed only machinery.2 Meyer did note that the smokestack, which measured 15 feet in diameter at the top and shot 250 feet into the sky,3 was “somewhat extravagant in size.”4 But as he concluded his detailed report, Meyer summed up his positive evaluation succinctly: “In general, we can say that your plant deserves little criticism, that it is splendidly designed, equipped and constructed, and that no apologies need ever be made.”5 More than once on that midsummer day in West Lafayette, the term “modern” was used to describe the new Power Plant. Meyer sprinkled the word throughout his report. President Edward C. Elliott used it to distinguish the new plant from the old one. In 1925, the Power Plant was, indeed, a powerful and visible symbol of modernity in a

college town that was a rather late bloomer. Being modern meant more than having the latest, greatest equipment. It meant embracing a different attitude toward the world and one’s place in it, and it had huge social and cultural implications. At Purdue University, the Power Plant coincided with these social, cultural, and attitudinal changes and, at the same time, enabled the development of technological and scientific knowledge and applications that contributed to modernity’s continuing unfolding. The “extravagant” size of the plant’s smokestack served as a visible reminder of the revolution in living that had overtaken the University and the surrounding town of West Lafayette. The modern condition tapped into an array of practices and sensibilities that had emerged from huge social, economic, and cultural forces at work at the end of the nineteenth century. Some historians see the end of the century as a period that brought about the demise of homogeneous “island communities,” which resulted in fewer local face-toface dealings and increasing dependence on national and international markets for basic sustenance. Others point to industrialization and its agents’ relentless drive for standardization of components and products and rationalization of production itself as the engines of social and cultural transformation. They argue that the insistence on both uniformity and efficiency had profound social effects, because people from different stations in life experienced industrialization in unique ways. Distance and tension grew between social classes; they lived in different neighborhoods, attended different churches, and eyed one another with distrust and suspicion. Anonymity in cities and in large-scale 38

workplaces made possible experimentation with various activities that would have been classified as sin or vice in an earlier period, and it eroded loyalty to old-fashioned beliefs and truths. Indeed, scholars have shown that in the midst of this late-nineteenthcentury revolution, Americans entertained the possibility of atheism for the first time. Those who remained in their faith communities nevertheless pushed against the walls of tradition and dogma to make their religion more relevant. Finally, modernity meant population diversity, for the capacity to move across vast distances and the decision to engage in international markets resulted in people from around the world and across the country increasingly living in proximity to people who were different from themselves.6 Modernity had all of these aspects and something else as well. It encompassed an attitude of nonchalance—a willingness to consider once forbidden subjects. It was an attitude that has been described by Ann Douglas as “terrible honesty,” a refusal to place taboos on anything.7 In social life, it meant evolving attitudes toward sexuality and a taste for ragged music that came barreling out of America’s cafés, bars, and bawdy houses, often composed and performed by African American musicians. In other areas it led to an elevation of the ordinary, even tawdry, as appropriate subjects for art. Movements like the American Ashcan School and European Cubism and Fauvism shook the art world to its foundation in the first decade of the twentieth century because of both the content and form of their works of art. And it was in this environment of questioning and challenging that Albert Einstein began formulating his theory of

relativity. While Einstein’s theory did not catch on right away, one trend of which he was a part was the relationship between space and time. This interest reflected more than simply scientific and technological solutions to everyday problems; it was, as well, a desire to offer more profound understandings of the human experience.8 Modernity—even in its nascent forms—had eluded both Purdue and West Lafayette, Indiana, where the University was established in 1869. While other communities, including many that were smaller in size, felt the social shocks brought about by late-nineteenth-century industrial development, population growth, increasing racial and ethnic diversity, transforming relationships in the workplace, and new attitudes in the public square, West Lafayette remained a sleepy, small town barely able to maintain the basic infrastructure for the hundreds, and eventually thousands, of students and faculty who made their way to Indiana’s land-grant university. For example, we learn from the West Lafayette governing board’s monthly meeting minutes that from the 1890s through the first two decades of the twentieth century, West Lafayette struggled to keep the streets in decent repair. The board regularly appealed to property owners for special tax levies that would cover the cost of grading the gravel streets and replacing curb stones and culverts. The work was done piecemeal, and almost as soon as the last streets were repaired, the first ones needed attention again. In the midst of the economic downturn of 1893, the city acknowledged its inability to undertake new projects by refusing to pass a resolution to install four new hydrants in the city, and they received complaints from residents about the

nights when the town’s electric lights were dark.9 The Debris and The Exponent carried advertisements for bath houses in Lafayette, which suggests that students used their services. It is no wonder: West Lafayette had no water works until 1892, and until they later figured out how to measure the volume of water used, the city charged property owners by the faucet for access to this city service.10 Yet at Purdue, scientific inquiry advanced apace, spurred in part by a horrific tragedy on Halloween 1903 when a train carrying Purdue’s football team, members of the band, and adoring fans to a big game against Indiana University in Indianapolis wrecked, killing seventeen people and injuring dozens more. As President Winthrop E. Stone led the Purdue community through a period of mourning and recovery, he gave the University community a new mission. In an address shortly after the train wreck, he called for faculty and students to redouble their efforts to gain control of the power of technology. He announced a new policy to encourage faculty to foster relationships with the commercial world, “to the end that our instructors may be in touch with the latest progress in order to make the technical instruction of the greatest possible value.”11 Academics would not be “academic” at Purdue; that is, he wanted the University’s researchers to play a role in the solving of technical challenges facing a modernizing country and, in keeping with the modern temper, to become partners with industries at home and abroad. At the same time, however, President Stone’s vision of Purdue as an agent of modern technology did not change the culture of the University in social 39

ways. Modernism’s revolutionary movements in art and music found no outlet on the West Lafayette campus. Religious symbolism continued to resonate with students as they edited their newspaper and yearbooks—there is no evidence of experimentation with subject matter à la the American Ashcan School or in technique like the European proponents of Cubism or Fauvism.12 Even the many literary and debate societies took positions on topics of the day that were out of keeping with the modern sensibility articulated in American salons in urban areas. While there may well have been love affairs on campus, the outward face of the University—seen in the Debris and The Exponent— most of the time was stiffly proper.13 Lafayette, to be sure, enjoyed an industrial and commercial base that brought some aspects of modernity to the town. But West Lafayette was not always reliably connected to its sister city across the Wabash River. While Lafayette constructed the first electric street railway in the state in 1888 and provided service to West Lafayette and Purdue University, a piece of bad luck and an act of God led to a major setback for West Siders. In 1910, the Fort Wayne and Wabash Valley train was involved in a collision that killed dozens of people, and the company went out of business as a result of its role in the accident. A new company formed in 1911 to meet the transportation needs of the community, but two years later, a massive flood destroyed the Main Street Bridge and washed out the rail lines as well. It was about a year before a new company formed, and in the meantime, students made use of car companies to get from the train station in Lafayette to Purdue. The new company failed and

no new system took its place until 1922, when on March 24, the Lafayette Street Railway, Inc., began operations. Within three years, it was proclaimed “a glaring success” by the National Municipal Review.14 Developments on both banks of the Wabash River in the early 1920s brought Purdue University and West Lafayette into the modern era. In 1922, the same year that the new Lafayette Street Railway began service, the city of West Lafayette opened a new public library and began regular broadcasts from its new radio station on the top floor of the Electrical Engineering Building on campus. The library and radio brought new ideas and sounds to the community. At the same time, the Village Union, an organization of local businessmen, began calling for the West Lafayette public school to hire a nurse to teach hygiene, which at the time was both a call to clean personal habits and also code for education about human reproduction.15 A major undertaking in the spring of 1922 was to begin paving city streets with asphalt to slow the pace of constant street repair. The project began in the area now known as the New Chauncey neighborhood within walking distance of Purdue and the site of a construction frenzy. Older structures and green spaces in that neighborhood were giving way to Craftsman bungalows, advertised in the real estate section of the local newspaper as modern homes near campus.16 In place of the Victorian homes with their specialized use of space, dreary kitchens, and separation of the public areas of the home from the private ones, the new houses featured large, open rooms with windows that connected the interior and exterior and that thus blurred the lines

separating the public and the private. The spacious rooms and often large closets spoke to the dawn of consumer desire in West Lafayette, a key marker of modern America.17 Purdue University and West Lafayette roared into the modern age in the 1920s. In many respects the new Power Plant helps us grapple with the interplay between social developments and cultural ideals on one side and the technological commercial component on the other that together resulted in important shifts in the experience of people who lived and studied here. The new plant had been demanded by Purdue’s faculty, administrative leaders, and students because they were growing ever more dependent upon electricity and heat to support their way of life and their work. At the same time, the programs that were supplied power from the new plant meant Purdue scholars and researchers would be able to push into the frontiers of knowledge and contribute to the scientific and technological advances that increasingly defined modern America. Even before the new plant was online, the Board of Trustees approved an underground system that would connect the Power Plant to the “Practical Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering Buildings” as well as to “Stanley Coulter Hall, Memorial Gymnasium, Purdue Hall to Ladies Hall,” all for an additional $100,000.18 Moreover, from the beginning, Professor G. C. King, who had contributed to the design of the plant, was appointed by President Elliott as consulting engineer in 1924 to begin immediately gathering data on the efficiency of the plant once it was in use. He was to make monthly reports to the Board of Trustees on the 40

plant’s performance; however, equally important was his role in coordinating the use of the plant for teaching purposes. “Members of the staff of the Schools of Engineering desiring to use any heating and power plant equipment for teaching or research purposes” had to first get the approval of Professor King.19 The plant would be as much a teaching and learning building as it would be a generator of power and heat. The “decidedly modern” power plant of 1924 was not the University’s first power plant. It replaced a plant that simply could not provide the energy and heat necessary to support a growing research institution with an expanding faculty and student body. Shortly after the new plant was approved, the smokestack of its predecessor was brought down in dramatic fashion, signaling the arrival of a new era (see Figure 3.1). It also should be noted that the demand for increased power capacity at Purdue was not unique to the West Lafayette campus. In early 1923, the Lafayette Journal and Courier reported that “the greatest increases” in the proposed Indiana state budget “were grouped appropriations for power plants and improvements at state educational institutions totaling $780,000.”20 The legislature approved the expenditure of $275,000 for a power plant at Purdue, the same amount for a plant at Riley Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis, and less than half that amount for a power plant at the Indiana State Normal School at Muncie.21 The demand for the new plant stemmed from the institution’s desire to grow in size and to expand course offerings. The incoming class of 1924 was one of the largest incoming classes in the

ever increasing number of underclass students; the crowded condition of Purdue and University Halls being evidenced more every day.”23 The dedication of Recitation Hall in 1922 had taken some pressure off the overcrowded conditions, but other needs remained unaddressed. The editors insisted that the “building and particularly laboratories of the School of Electrical Engineering . . . are at present inadequate to provide facilities desired for the students of the Engineering Schools. The very urgent need for a new building for Electrical Engineering is, therefore, generally recognized as the next step in advance.”24 The “improvement in equipment” for women’s education was noted by the editors of the Debris as the reason for the 148 women who entered the University in 1923, also a record-setting number. Students noted that the Home Economics Building was “modern in every way and adequately equipped.”25 Thus, the widespread need for power and heat for an up-to-date education affected students in myriad majors in the 1920s. Figure 3.1 The second Power Plant, built in 1904, was demolished after the 1924 plant began operations. Here, the smokestack is razed.

University’s history with more than 1,200 students accepting admission. Indeed, 1924 marked a new record as the University student population broke the 3,200 mark.22 Even before that record-breaking number of students arrived on campus, students and faculty were feeling the consequences of inadequate space on campus. The editors of the Debris in 1923 noted, “For the past three years it has been a source of continual wonder as to where space was going to be provided for the instruction of the

Given this boom in population and instruction, it is clear that Purdue University needed a great deal of power for all kinds of activities now supported on campus. In 1923, for example, the year that the appropriation for the new plant was approved by the legislature, the Debris staff featured in the Student Life section the efficient laboratories of the home economics department, a laboratory for the electrical engineering students, and the machine shops. As they described their trip to the latter, “the whir of motors” could be heard on every side (see Figure 3.2).26 After WBAA, the public radio station, began broadcasting, professors across Purdue University’s campus began to use the new station 41

to disseminate the findings in their research.27 In 1923, for example, Professor J. B. Bailey from the School of Electrical Engineering offered a radio talk in which he noted the astonishing array of electrical appliances in use at that time. Some of the students and faculty might well have been among the 150,000 people who owned electric grills, the 4.5 million who used electric irons, or the 5 million who had bought toasters across the United States. He touted the impact that percolators, hot plates, vacuum cleaners, and water heaters had made on the lives of those living in this electrified age.28

Figure 3.2 Students experienced “the whir of the motors” in the electrical engineering laboratory.

By 1925, the station was experimenting with an early form of distance learning when it aired such lecture courses as “The Psychology of Learning,” “Current Social and Economic Problems,” and “The American Constitutional System.” Anyone could tune in for the information, but “all who desire credit must be regularly registered before the first lectures are given and should at once report to the extension division indicating the courses selected.”29 A travelogue entitled “East of Suez” and a publicity movie, “A Winter Trip to Purdue,” were among the

radio set. See your dealer now. Find out why a hundred thousand radio enthusiasts will buy Premier Ensembles in the next three months. There’s a reason—and a good one.”33 In the 1924 Debris, art editor W. I. Gibbs sketched a scene from a young woman’s room that was placed appropriately in the advertising section. The caption read “No Home is Complete Without One,” and the sketch featured a negligee-clad, curly haired beauty lounging on a bed with a glass of liquor (Prohibition notwithstanding) in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Clustered around her were the items that perhaps no home could do without—a telephone, a phonograph, and an oscillating electric fan (see Figure 3.4).34

Figure 3.3 Professor George H. Mayer conducting a class in History of Western Thought over WBAA.

movies being shown on campus in 1923.30 Classes, research, informational broadcasts, and films all represented new educational capacity at the University that required power (see Figure 3.3). Even students’ personal lives required more power. The yearbook carried advertisements from the Northern Indiana Gas and Electric Company, which exhorted potential customers to “Save Your Energy, Your Beauty, Your Health, Your Money” by

buying gas and electric appliances.31 The Lafayette Journal and Courier also carried advertisements for goods that students at Purdue might well have purchased for use on campus. The Electric Shop on Main Street offered study lamps for $2.25 that were “adjustable” and came in “assorted finishes.”32 A year later, the same store featured a radio made by Premier Electric Company at the affordable price of $35. As the advertisement insisted, “Don’t entertain the idea of paying $125 or $150 for your 42

Figure 3.4 Art editor W. I. Gibbs encourages viewers to “Use Own Judgment” when observing this advertisement. Is it the girl or the electronics that no home is complete without?

As the new Power Plant was under construction, and in the years immediately following its completion, students’ attitudes and behaviors reveal the interplay between the young people’s modern

expectations and the need for more power to fuel the realization of those expectations. In fact, students felt partially responsible for making demands that brought Purdue University into the modern world. For example, students in the Class of 1924 believed that they had been instrumental in many of the changes taking place on campus, changes symbolized by the Power Plant that was then under construction. In reflecting on the fact that theirs was the fiftieth class to graduate from Purdue, they insisted that they were “among those who became dissatisfied with the old order of things, those who began to speak of a ‘Greater Purdue,’ a school of larger numbers of more avenues of expansion, of definite contact with the affairs of the state and nation, and of more buildings and other material things that would go with such progress.” They reported having taken “the fight to our alumni and our industries and through them to the legislature” as they lobbied for the capacity to grow. “And today we have the satisfaction of knowing that there is a definite outlined building program for the University,” they concluded. “We hope in a few years to see our campus transformed, our numbers increased many fold, and our University a greater factor in the life of the state.”35 The Class of 1926 dedicated the Debris of their senior year to the vision of a “Greater Purdue.” By the time they penned this dedication, the new Power Plant was up and running, and programs and people dependent on electricity and heat were forging full speed ahead. The dream of a “Greater Purdue” is “rapidly being realized,” the dedication began. It continued: “The past few years have seen material development—new buildings, an

increasing enrollment, better athletic teams. But more far reaching than this is the awakened interest in the less tangible but more fundamental phases of the institution, a growing realization of Purdue’s educational responsibilities.”36 Indeed, the editors of the yearbook also featured the professional work of Purdue graduates that was contributing to progress in other parts of the country. Among the alumni honored were C. J. Fechheimer, of the Class of 1904, and Harry S. Marshall, of the Class of 1903. Fechheimer’s research on the turbo alternator was “too intricate for the ordinary lay mind to understand,” but the results were “responsible for the wonderful service that light and power companies are able to give consumers today.”37 In a similar vein, Marshall had built a hydroelectric plant in Hamilton, Ohio, for a Ford plant that employed 25,000 workers.38 By 1926 classes taking place in the new Power Plant were among the educational responsibilities of the University, and students as well as faculty and administrators were looking to the achievements of students in the past as a base from which to build into the future. The Power Plant enabled more than laboratories, research, and the dissemination of information through radio broadcasts and films. It supported a way of life that many students were coming to expect. The way of life to which students had become accustomed, in turn, reflected many aspects of the modern temper. As subtle as it might seem, the revolution in women’s fashion, with its emphasis on lightweight fabrics like nylon and rayon and bare neck and arms, meant that more heat would have been desired in classrooms, on special occasions like class dances, and in dormitories. A poem, 43

published without attribution in the 1922 Debris entitled “I’m Satisfied,” testifies to the changing mores that were coming to the University on the eve of the construction of the Power Plant (see Figure 3.5): “When I was a Sophomore / And young and / Went to the movies / I used to long for Greenwich Village / And its gay life / Which I thought would be much better / Than staid old Purdue / For there were lights / And mean parties / And girls comma / With arched eyebrows / And bobbed hair / And short skirts / And half hose semicolon / Well anyway comma / I’m a senior now and / This year the girls comma / Our own Purdue girls comma / Have been wearing / Arched eyebrows and / Bobbed hair and bobbed skirts / And half hose and / I heard about those skiing parties / Down on the hill / (Oh that I were a Beta) / So now I don’t think / I want to go to / Greenwich Village / Anymore period.”39 In keeping with the innuendo in this verse is the illustration made by Gibbs to introduce the advertising section at the back of the 1922 yearbook. A scantily clad beauty holds the edges of her skirt away from her body as she gazes seductively over the reader’s shoulder (see Figure 3.6). The gauzy dress leaves little to the imagination and underscores the sense that Purdue girls in the 1920s made many Purdue men forget about dreams of going to Greenwich Village.40 While the poem attests to the “revolution in manners and morals” that keen social observers of the 1920s noted about American society in general, the two illustrations of modern women in the advertising section of the Debris yearbooks of the

sense of identity.41 Certainly, the students’ decision to dedicate the 1930 Debris to a local businessman, Horace G. Reisner, among other honorees, suggests that the Purdue identity was similarly constructed.

Figure 3.5 Poem “I’m Satisfied” in the 1922 Debris.

mid-1920s point to a subtle but important connection between a consumer orientation and the demand for additional power represented by the construction of the new plant. The heavy demands for power and heat, of course, came from laboratories, classroom buildings, administrative offices, the library, and dormitories. But equally important was the expectation that electrical power would be available for the new appliances, personal products, and lighting the younger set increasingly took for granted—this impulse is little different from the

Figure 3.6 1922 Debris advertisement section artwork featuring a scantily clad young woman.

students in the twenty-first century who expect to have computer labs, Wi-Fi connections, and smart classrooms at a university the caliber of Purdue. The students at the dawn of the modern era, like their counterparts today, also expected to have the latest fashions, the newest gadgets (regardless of their relationship to education), the newest music, and all the bounty consumer-oriented companies could provide. Some scholars have even argued that the act of responding to advertisements by consuming goods became part and parcel of 1920s Americans’ 44

In less than five years, the new Power Plant struggled to provide the electricity and heat demanded by the Purdue University campus, and members of the Board of Trustees realized that the “decidedly modern” power plant of 1924 would have to be upgraded to expand its capacity. But this was not the result of debate—in spite of the crash of the stock market in 1929, it was a decision made in an almost matterof-fact way. Purdue University’s building program from the 1920s and its people’s demand for adequate power would be supported through the dark years of economic depression in the 1930s. In some ways, the plant that produced the power was not at the forefront of thinking on campus, but power itself had become indispensable to the way of life of students and faculty on the West Lafayette campus. When the plant expanded, the “extravagant” smokestack remained, towering over the campus and West Lafayette as a silent testimony to the community’s arrival in the modern age.

Coda: “173,455 bricks of glory” By 1930, Purdue students had embraced modernism, and their identities as consumers of the new electrified goods and technologies produced in part by the heat and electricity supplied by the Power Plant. But by 1940, the plant had come to signify

something different. From the student perspective, power was just there, the plant itself noticeable only when it failed to deliver. From the perspective of the busy students, crisscrossing campus to get to class, it was all about the smokestack, the most prominent structure on campus. The “extravagant” smokestack seems to have worked its way into the student imagination, judging from its regular appearance in the Debris. And more, the smokestack came to reflect student culture as it changed over time.42 In the 1940s and 1950s, the smokestack is described straightforwardly as a point of pride on campus—but not necessarily as a working component of a world-class power plant. Rather, its size makes it a landmark. In 1940, the Debris describes the smokestack as “the first visible sign of Purdue University to anyone approaching the campus.”43 This description—plus a full-page picture—is part of a feature article highlighting campus landmarks, which puts the stack next to the brand-new Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music, Heavilon Hall (the 1895 “one brick higher” version), and the Ward L. Lambert Fieldhouse and Gymnasium, which had opened just two years earlier. For those who arrived on campus after the smokestack’s demise, it is hard to imagine how important a landmark it was—as a 1956 description has it, the smokestack “doubly serve[d] as an airplane signal and welcoming beacon for returning students” (see Figure 3.7).44 A 1944 sketch imagining a postwar building boom for the campus places the smokestack front and center—nearly at the geographic center of future Purdue, the stack pokes above all the other buildings like a central pin holding the rest of the map in place (see Figure 3.8)45

Figure 3.7 The smokestack lit against a dark, snowy night.

But beginning in the 1960s, we can see student sensibilities shifting; the smokestack is still a landmark—still a beacon—but it becomes something else as well. It is as if the smokestack’s original function as a working part of a cutting-edge power plant is far enough in the past that students can start to attach new meaning to the structure. In the early 1970s especially, the extravagant smokestack becomes a symbol to students caught up in antiwar protests and civil 45

rights demonstrations not of modernity and progress, but of misplaced priorities, of things gone wrong at Purdue and, indeed, in the nation as a whole. Consider the backlit photo of the smokestack included in the 1968 Debris, captioned “The smokestack’s last stand” (see Figure 3.9).46 Lit by the setting sun, the smokestack looms as a dark and ominous structure, so different from the cheerful illuminated version of the stack-asairplane-beacon included in the 1956 Debris. Or

A

B

Figure 3.9 The silhouette of the smokestack is only made more ominous by the caption accompanying the photograph: “The smokestack’s last stand.”

Figure 3.8A and 3.8B Purdue Pete presents the “Post-War Plan” in the 1944 Debris and the imagined buildings Purdue would soon construct.

compare both to the image of the smokestack included in a 1973 feature that presented the year in photos. In the fall section of the collection, the smokestack is included in a picture obviously meant to feature two landmarks—the founder’s fountain is at the center with the smokestack in the background, but both are blurred; the object in the foreground, the only object in focus, is an emergency police call box (see Figure 3.10).47

The sense of foreboding is underlined by direct references to the smokestack in the text of the Debris in the 1970s. Yearbook writers in 1971 borrow the cadences of Beat poetry to describe the campus: We showed the bearded man the buildings and the crowd, the streets and the posters that went on forever; 46

Figure 3.10 A blurry smokestack and Power Plant are visible in the dark behind an emergency police call box.

The sweat and the books and the cameras and the ivy and brick and rain and a smokestack above watering eyes And night and pavement and blackwhite signs and the Saturdays and games and the bells and pearled pins. And he asked with wonder: “But where is the university?” And three of us wept.48 Because the verses are immediately opposite a picture of students sitting near John Purdue’s grave, the “bearded man” appears to be Purdue himself. In these few lines, the smokestack is one example in a litany of campus wonders—and distractions— that bewilder Purdue as he looks around campus. Compare the Debris imagery to these lines from Alan Ginsberg’s poem “Howl,” originally published in 1956. “Moloch” is the entity who has destroyed “the best minds of my generation”: Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running money! Moloch whose fingers are ten armies! Moloch whose breast is a cannibal dynamo! Moloch whose ear is a smoking tomb! Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows! Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose

factories dream and croak in the fog! Moloch whose smoke-stacks and antennae crown the cities!49 The student writers’ inspiration at midcentury suggests just how far we are from the generation that saw the Power Plant and its smokestack as an absolute good. Moreover, that question—“But where is the university”—alludes to a well-known illustration in the philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s book Concept of Mind, first published in 1949. Ryle’s book was an influential attempt to dismantle Cartesian duality, that is, to undermine the notion, which Ryle traced to René Descartes, of the separation of mind and body by explaining that the “seeming contrast of the two” is “illegitimate.”50 His explanation of how this mistake took hold of Western philosophy depends on illustrations of what he calls category mistakes. Rather than reducing mind into body or the reverse, and rather than asserting that mind and body are two sides of the same coin, Ryle contends that mind and body exist, but that they exist in separate categories, and confusing them gives rise to fundamental errors in understanding the human experience.51 In his book, Ryle offers several illustrations of category mistakes, and in the first describes a foreigner visiting Oxford University for the first time. The foreigner is shown “where the members of the Colleges live, where the Registrar works, where the scientists experiment and the rest.” But despite having been shown all these elements, he still asks, “But where is the University?” an example, Ryle argues, of category mistake.52 In the 1960s and early 1970s, as Luke O’Sullivan 47

explains, his theories had “made inroads into . . . other fields of academic discourse . . . particularly psychology, but also theology,” and so students may have encountered his work in any number of classes or discussions with faculty.53 It is beyond the scope of this essay to fully unpack this allusion to Ryle’s work; however, to consider the fuller significance of the passage, we might look at the contrast between the classic English institution of Ryle’s essay and the land-grant university of the Debris, between the green quadrangles of Oxford and the smokestack of Purdue. If in 1971 the smokestack is a distraction from the true University, by 1973 it is presented as a distraction from even more important issues. In the photo essay that presents the academic year season-by-season, several pages after the picture of the smokestack with an emergency phone, after a note about Nixon’s win in the 1972 election, after an anecdote decrying “apathy,” we find a picture of a pensive bandsman with this caption: “Two students were killed at Southern University. Nixon stepped up bombing in Vietnam. The fountain is still in front of the administration building and the smokestack is still lit up at night. And Purdue students still mind their own business” (see Figure 3.11).54 We note that student apathy or insularity is presented in the context of a campus culture that includes discussions of racism and student protest against the war in Vietnam. This photo essay includes a picture from a Convocations presentation of “The Basic Training of Pavel Hummel,” one of David Rabe’s “Vietnam Plays,” described by Zane Scott Tunkin as “part of the overall American theatrical response to the United States’

student work: “The Engineer’s major success was its ‘Playboy’ publication, featuring a foldout of the Purdue smokestack.”56

design” of a woman’s curves (see Figure 3.12), and starting in 1970, when Purdue played host to Hugh Hefner’s plane, the “Big Bunny” (see Figure 3.13).57

This irreverent take on the smokestack (and on engineering) is certainly a product of the time. This was a moment in which the Purdue Engineer featured recruitment ads from Douglas Aircraft that depicted a young engineer diagraming the “exotic

To its credit, the journal did not actually capitalize on the phallic imagery of the extravagantly sized smokestack, or at least, there’s no centerfold issue in 1966–1967, but the March 1967 issue was a spoof (dubbed Synthetic American in the typeface of Scientific American), and it includes a little piece of speculative fiction that imagines a centuries-hence

Figure 3.11 The attitude of students toward current events is evidenced in the 1973 Debris.

involvement in the Vietnam conflict.”55 It was cutting-edge theater, first performed in New York in 1971. The smokestack is still a beacon, but, the student yearbook seems to ask, a beacon guiding us to what? If the treatment by students of the “first visible sign of Purdue University” at times reflects the serious and difficult conversations happening on campus and around the nation, they also link the smokestack to the free-love-and-rock-and-roll side of the 1960s and 1970s; the smokestack is also claimed in these years by the students as an object of humor. And not surprisingly, the humor is risqué. The 1967 Debris offers this year-in-review for Purdue Engineer, a journal that featured Purdue

Figure 3.12 A recruitment advertisement from Douglas Aircraft featured a student “exotic design” of a woman’s curves. Image courtesy of Purdue Engineer.58

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Figure 3.13 Hugh Hefner’s plane, “Big Bunny,” at the Purdue University airport. Image courtesy of Professional Pilot.59

from an object of wonder to a relic, one at which students can poke fun, as in the Tarkington Hall feature in the 1968 Debris, in which three serious looking, suited young men are busily consulting: “And the smokestack will blow up at exactly 12:03” (see Figure 3.14).62

archaeological dig on the site of the campus, known to the future as “Smokstak,” so named because of the discovery of “the remains of a crude pile of clay, from which the area gets its name.”60 The article includes a picture of the smokestack, with a caption that explains future scientists’ speculation that “inhabitants of the region would go out at night to watch the monument against the changing background of the sky. Poisonous gasses which came out of the top of the structure may be faintly seen at the top of the tower.”61 The smokestack has been transformed Figure 3.14 Engineering students of Tarkington Hall “discussing” the planned demise of the smokestack. 49

This joking ownership continues into the 1980s and 1990s, even after (or perhaps especially when) it is clear the demise of the stack is coming. In 1983, the smokestack is included as part of “The Graduation Game,” a two-page board game, which includes such challenges as applying for an interview “at the Placement Center” or “Go to church. Pray either to find a job or be admitted to grad school,” and directs the players to “Hire a contractor to build another ‘golden ring’ on the smokestack” (see Figure 3.15).63 The game is included in the Feature section of the yearbook, which includes descriptions of new buildings, such as the John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library and a photo montage captioned “Video Mania Send Quarters” (see Figure 3.16).64 We are a long way from the early reverence paid by students to the technological wonders of the Power Plant in the 1920s or the dark symbolism of the smokestack in the 1960s and 1970s. References to the smokestack in the 1980s blend humor with nostalgia—preemptively—for a soonto-be-lost landmark. At this point, students may have seen the smokestack as a leaning, crumbling icon, but it was their crumbling icon. Consider the nicknames for the stack that Jeff Clingenpeel collects in his 1987 Debris feature “A Glow of Light”: “Torch of Liberty,” “monument to justice,” and especially “173,455 bricks of glory.” 65 The

Figure 3.15 “The Graduation Game” featured in the 1983 Debris as a full-spread gameboard. 50

In 1989, student writers answer the question—if not next, the smokestack would soon be razed. In her essay “Smoke,” Julie Scheiwe clearly illustrates the self-deprecating yet nostalgic tone so prevalent in the last years of the smokestack: “Since it is no longer being used, the smokestack will deteriorate and will become a safety hazard if left standing. It will be a sad day for Purdue when the smokestack is taken down. Drunken students will no longer be able to find their way home by the smokestack. Freshman will have no idea where they are on campus because they will not have this landmark to follow.”68

Figure 3.16 Video games were a prevalent activity on campus in 1983 as evidenced in this Debris spread.

Figure 3.17 The spectacularly lit smokestack and Power Plant were seen by all on campus and were used as a landmark for lost students.

photo that accompanies his piece adds yet another term: “A first year student always knows if he or she is lost somewhere near campus, the surest way to find their way home is to look for the lit monument of bricks—the smokestack” (see Figure 3.17).66 These encomia are heaped on the stack in an issue that also predicts its demise. The last essay in the 1987 Debris surveys the changes to the campus that are coming. A large picture of the smokestack is captioned with a question: “Will this be next???”67 51

In 1990, student writers began to articulate the meaning of the smokestack as more than a landmark—as a true icon for the University. Bridget McLaughlin acknowledges that some on campus viewed the smokestack as an accident waiting to happen, but she notes that “other students here like the towering symbol of Purdue. The smokestack was a beacon of hope for many students that strayed far across the river.”69 However symbolic the smokestack had become, the caption to the photo illustrating McLaughlin’s piece doubles down on its less reputable function: “Here the smokestack towers above campus. The smokestack was an aid to drunken students in returning safely to campus” see (Figure 3.18).70 We can see in the 1980s and 1990s a continuing push-pull of interest. On the one hand, the smokestack remains a source of pride. In 1989, it is still “one of the tallest and biggest smokestacks in the state.”71 On the other, it is a landmark so ugly it

Whether or not Berg’s analysis is correct, it is clear that the smokestack was important to the Purdue community. Indeed, after it was gone, students and alumni mourned the loss in various creative ways. During homecoming in 1993, residents of McCutcheon Hall decorated their front lawn with an effigy of the smokestack “imprison[ing] a Northwestern Wildcat. The smokestack honored the landmark that had come down in the summer.”73 At the homecoming game, the band “recreated the destruction of the smokestack,” which must have been a sight to behold.74 And later in the same issue, in an article entitled “Fallen Icon,” the writer notes that “the University offered bricks to alumni who wished to have a memento of college life.”75

Figure 3.18 The smokestack stands above the Power Plant on an empty campus.

can only be loved by family (and perhaps only drunken relatives at that). The mix of emotional registers suggests that over the years the smokestack became endued with iconographic status. In 1992, a “people feature” by Truanne Berg compares the stack to the “Honors Obelisk”—perhaps speciously—as a structure that reflects the highest levels of human thought. The smokestack, like all obelisks, she argues, had become “a symbol of creative power.”72

The last mention in the 1993 Debris about the smokestack suggests that students understood that Purdue would want to find a new icon—one that was intentional in its symbolism, one designed to invoke many of the same emotions the stack had inspired over the years, but that would not as readily invite the mocking tone that we had seen in at least some of the students’ earlier commentary. In her 1990 piece anticipating the demise of the smokestack, McLaughlin reports that some members of the community hoped for an exciting new landmark to rise on campus. Some “viewed the smokestack as a chance for newness at Purdue. When the present smokestack is torn down, plans exist to create a bell tower to replace it. When all this occurs, old, conservative Purdue will again have a sense of rebirth.”76 Indeed, the idea for a bell tower on campus goes back at least to the 1960s— and was then inspired by alumni who regretted the passing of another landmark on campus. We 52

find in the Board of Trustees minutes for that year a resolution by the alumni club in Chicago. The resolution laments the passing of Heavilon Hall, with its “proud Purdue Tower point[ing] upward to the skies as an emblem of the Purdue’s soul and spirit.”77 While the alumni acknowledge that the Science Building that took the original Heavilon Hall’s place is “architecturally correct,” they mourn the loss of the soulful tower and are not content with the only remaining building on a grand scale. The Science Building “stirs no memories in the minds and hearts of Purdue devotees who faithfully return to the campus year after year. Rather, they must be content with a gleaming smokestack as a beacon.”78 In response to the loss, they petition the Board of Trustees to “speedily unearth and refurbish the original Purdue chimes and clock, to hoist the assembly to its former position of dignity and eminence in an appropriate tower of steel and masonry in a location befitting its majesty.”79 Thirty-three years later, Purdue students note the end of the smokestack—a second-best landmark to alumni in 1960—in terms that are strikingly similar to the lament for Heavilon Hall’s tower. The 1993 Debris declares that “the night skyline was irrevocably changed during the summer session. The removal of the smokestack brought cries of protest from students, faculty, and alumni,”80 and the yearbook declared that “what had once risen above the fields was not only a fallen icon, it would always remain in both past and present students’ hearts.”81 And indeed, two years later the 1995 Debris published pictures of buildings on campus, such as the Purdue Memorial Union; superimposed on them is a ghostly image of the smokestack (see Figure 3.19).82

Figure 3.19 The superimposed smokestack on another campus icon, the Purdue Memorial Union.

53

But of course, the more things change: One of the realities of a university is that any icon—any tradition—lasts only a few years, or as long as it takes for the majority of the student body to turn over. Consider that just a few years before the 1995 Debris depicted the ghost of smokestacks past, other writers explain how swiftly students adopted a new landmark: the Engineering Fountain. The frontispiece to the 1990 Debris describes the initial reaction of the campus community to the Robert Youngman fountain: “students and faculty criticized the towering structure and its odd, untraditional appearance—it just didn’t seem to belong.” Yet it quickly became “the hottest hangout between classes and the coolest place to play on a hot day. . . . The shimmering water quickly became an accepted campus symbol.”83 And so, too, students quickly became used to the Bell Tower as a substitute to the awkward but beloved smokestack. Just three years after the Debris declared that the stack would live on in the hearts of students, a new generation of yearbook writers focused on the new campus icons, the Bell Tower and the Engineering Fountain foremost among them. These “majestic landmarks around campus beautified students’ surroundings and provided a sense of tradition for the university.”84 For these students, who had witnessed its erection, the Bell Tower was not yet a tradition or an icon. The fountain, by contrast, had been there since their arrival on campus—since the beginning of time in terms of student memory. By linking the two, we see them looking toward a future in which the Bell Tower would be an expected and “natural” part of their Purdue experience, just as the smokestack had once been.

Once the smokestack came down, the Power Plant lost its most visible reminder of its function and place on Purdue’s campus. Few are left who know to mourn the razing of the old Power Plant as they did the demolition of the stack. And although the nostalgia of alumni for the smokestack was and is surely real, with the Bell Tower the University has succeeded in creating an iconographic structure that alumni will remember equally well. While the power used to fuel campus life in the twenty-first century comes from the all-but-invisible Walter W. Wade Utility Plant, the University’s educational mission continues. In this final chapter of the Heating and Power Plant–North, it is fitting that its replacement will be an active learning center, returning Purdue—we hope—full circle to the promise of cutting-edge, hands-on learning carried out in the “splendidly designed” and “decidedly modern” plant of the 1920s.

Notes 1. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, August 3, 1925, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries (hereinafter PUL/ASC), 9. 2. Ibid., 11. 3. “Purdue University Builds New Plant,” Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925): 881. While some statements given by architect Walter Scholer give the height of the smokestack as 275 feet, most other sources, including several technical reports, state the height as 250 feet. As the technical reports were conducted to analyze the final structure, the height of 250 feet is used throughout A Purdue Icon. 4. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, August 3, 1925, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, PUL/ASC, 12. 5. Ibid.

6. The literature on the subject of emergent modernity is vast. The following books shed light on the dimensions outlined here and will lead to further reading for those so inclined. Robert Wiebe, The Search for Order, 1877–1920 (New York: Hill & Wang, 1967); David P. Thelen, The New Citizenship: Origins of Progressivism in Wisconsin, 1885–1900 (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1972); T. J. Jackson Lears, No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture, 1880–1920 (New York: Pantheon Books, 1981); Alan Trachtenberg, The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age (New York: Hill & Wang, 1982); Susan Curtis, A Consuming Faith: The Social Gospel and Modern American Culture (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991); Werner Sollors, The Invention of Ethnicity (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989); and James Turner, Without God, Without Creed: Origins of Unbelief in America (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986). 7. Ann Douglas, Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995), 33. She writes, “The older generation was quick to accuse the younger one of lacking moral standards, but in truth the moderns wanted not fewer ethics but more searching ones. They attacked the pieties of their Victorian predecessors, not because they were inherently wrong or even unappealing, but because they were unattainable, and it was the business of those committed to ‘terrible honesty’ to say so” (33). 8. Robert Crunden, American Salons: Encounters with European Modernism, 1885–1917 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993); Susan Curtis, Dancing to a Black Man’s Tune: A Life of Scott Joplin (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1994, 2004); David Gilbert, The Product of Our Souls: Ragtime, Race, and the Birth of the Manhattan Musical Marketplace (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2015); Marilyn S. Kushner, The Armory Show at 100: Modernism and Revolution (London: Giles Publishers, 2013); Arthur J. Miller, Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty that Causes Havoc (New York: Basic Books, 2002); and Bennard Perlman, Painters of the Ashcan School: The Immortal Eight (New York: Dover Publications, 1988). 9. See West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, February 16, 1891, for an example of this endless round of street repairs; April 17, 1893, for a discussion about the lights; and July 19, 1893, for the failure to adopt the motion to install hydrants, PUL/ASC. 54

10. West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, May 16, 1892, PUL/ASC. 11. Quoted in Robert W. Topping, A Century and Beyond: The History of Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 1988), 158. 12. Here we rely on an unpublished paper by Justin Couetil, who systematically examined University records from the early twentieth century seeking evidence of artistic innovation at Purdue. He found no evidence of any of the European or American movements in art and thought that drove the development of new ideas and attitudes in the United States and in Europe. “Purdue’s Place in the Belle Époque,” unpublished paper, 2016. He reported on his research in More Than a Memory, available online at ascblogs.lib.purdue.edu/spring2016-honors19903/category /creative-arts/. 13. For an examination pertinent to gender relations, see Madison Heslop, “Murky Drops from Old Pump Rotten: The Old Pump, the ‘Purdue Woman,’ and the Ancient Order of the Dormitory Devils,” Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research 3 (2013): 44–49, http://doi.org /10.5703/jpur.03.14.07. 14. For a full treatment of the history of street railways in Lafayette and West Lafayette, see David Chambers, “The Lafayette Street Railway,” Electric Railway Journal 32 ( January 26, 1929): 1–51. See also Peter Bray’s report, “Lafayette Street Railway Power House,” prepared in April 1980 for the Railroad Relocation Project, https:// cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/in/in0100/in0187/data /in0187data.pdf. 15. “Citizens in Favor of School Nurse,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), April 7, 1922, 4. 16. The advertisement for one of these houses, located at 492 Littleton Street, described it as “Fine very modern 8 room bungalow.” See “Ads and Announcements,” Lafayette Evening Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), June 19, 1922, col. 2. 17.William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture (New York: Vintage Books, 1994); and T. J. Jackson Lears, Fables of Abundance: A Cultural History of Advertising (New York: Basic Books, 1995). For a nonacademic approach to the period, see Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s (New York: Harper Perennial Classics, 2010 [originally published in 1931]).

18. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, January 16, 1925, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, PUL/ASC. 19. Executive Memorandum No. 40, Appointment of Prof. G. C. King as Consulting Engineer, October 21, 1924, PUL/ASC. 20. “Local Institutions Aided by Budget,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), February 21, 1923, 1, cols. 7–8. 21. Ibid. 22. “Record Year at the University Now Indicated,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), September 18, 1924, 1, col. 8. 23. Debris (Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1923), 28, PUL/ASC. 24. Ibid., 35. 25. Ibid., 128. 26. Ibid., 141. 27. See, for example, “Radio Program to Be Broadcasted at University Tonight,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 19, 1923, 1, col. 3; and “Radio at Purdue,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), February 3, 1923, 2, col. 1. 28. “Great Utility of Electricity Is Pointed Out, Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), June 2, 1923, 2, col. 1–2. 29. “University of Air for Middle West,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 3, 1925 2, col. 4. 30. “Travelogue to Be Given at Purdue,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 17, 1923, 3, col. 2; and “Purdue Movie to Be Shown Here,” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 8, 1923, 3, col. 2. 31. Ibid., 473. 32. Advertisement, Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), September 9, 1924, 9. 33. Advertisement, Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), October 17, 1925, 3. 34. Debris (Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1924), 453, PUL/ASC. 35. The Mid Century Debris, (Lafayette, 1924), 46, PUL/ ASC. 36. Dedication page, Debris (Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1926), 4, PUL/ASC. 37. Debris (Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1926), 30, PUL/ASC.

38. Ibid., 40. 39. “I’m Satisfied,” Debris (Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1922), 470, PUL/ASC. 40. Ibid., 448a. 41. T. J. Jackson Lears, “From Salvation to SelfRealization: The Therapeutic Roots of the Consumer Culture, 1880–1930,” in The Culture of Consumption: Critical Essays in American History, 1880–1980, eds. Richard Fox and T. J. Jackson Lears (New York: Pantheon Books, 1983), 1–38. 42. We have chosen to mine the Debris for one measure of student interest in the smokestack. Certainly other sources, from the daily newspaper The Exponent to oral histories, would add to the picture, but the yearbook is a publication in which students aim to cull their experiences at the University and focus on lasting moments. So the representations of the smokestack in the various issues of the Debris over time reflect the cultural moment and also suggest what students imagined would be significant to them in the long run. 43. Debris (Fowler, IN: The Benton Review Shop, 1940), 12, PUL/ASC. 44. Debris (Indianapolis: Central Publishing Company, 1956), 45, PUL/ASC. 45. Debris (Chicago: Rogers Printing Company, 1944), 34–35, PUL/ASC. 46. Debris (Montgomery, AL: Paragon Press, 1968), 116, PUL/ASC. 47. Debris (Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1973), 14, PUL/ASC. 48. Debris (Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1971), 288, PUL/ASC. 49. Allen Ginsberg, “Howl” in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, shorter fifth edition, ed. Nina Baym (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999), 2698; 2703. 50. Gilbert Ryle, “The Origin of the Category Mistake,” in The Concept of Mind, 1949, 60th Anniversary Edition, ed. Julia Tanney (London: Routledge, 2009), 12. 51. Ibid., 8–12. 52. Ibid., 6. 53. Luke O’Sullivan, “The Idea of a Category Mistake: From Ryle to Habermas, and Beyond,” History of European Ideas 42, no. 2 (2016): 180. 54. Debris, 1973, 59. 55

55. Zane Scott Tunkin, “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Static Pop Culture Ideas on Male Gender,” Iowa Historical Review 1, no. 1 (2007): 45. 56. Debris (Montgomery, AL: Paragon Press, 1967), 89, PUL/ASC. 57. Purdue Engineer 63, no. 3 (December 1966): 12; and clipping of “Big Bunny Is Airborne,” Professional Pilot 4, no. 6 ( June 1970), p.m. in Joseph P. Minton Collection, MSA 257, Folder 3, PUL/ASC. 58. Purdue Engineer 63, no. 3 (December 1966): 12, in Joseph P. Minton Collection, MSA 257, Folder 3, PUL/ASC. 59. “Big Bunny Is Airborne,” p.m. 60. Alexi Farsight and Nicoli Control, “Smokstak: Center of Learning” in “Synthetic American,” Purdue Engineer (March 1967): 36. 61. Farsight and Control, “Smokstak,” 37. 62. Debris, 1968, 420, PUL/ASC. 63. Debris (n.p., 1983), 58, PUL/ASC. 64. Ibid., 55. 65. Jeff Clingenpeel, “A Glow of Light,” Debris (Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1987), 478, PUL/ASC. 66. Ibid., 479. 67. Ibid., 514–15. 68. Debris (Charlotte, NC: Delmar Company, 1989), 512, PUL/ACS. 69. Debris (State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1990), 278, PUL/ASC. 70. Ibid. 71. Debris, 1989, 512, PUL/ASC. 72. Debris (State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1992), 487, PUL/ASC. 73. Debris (State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1993), 93, PUL/ASC. 74. Ibid., 27. 75. Ibid., 280. 76. Debris, 1990, 278, PUL/ASC. 77. Board of Trustees Minutes, June 4, 1960, 71, PUL/ASC. 78. Ibid., 72. 79. Ibid. The current Bell Tower houses the Heavilon Hall bells, while the clock has been refurbished and is now on display in the Gatewood wing of the Mechanical Engineering Building. See https://engineering.purdue.edu /ME/AboutUs/History/index.html.

80. Debris, 1993, 4, PUL/ASC. 81. Ibid., 280. 82. Debris (State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1995), 1, PUL/ASC. 83. Debris, 1990, frontispiece. 84. Debris (State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1996), 7, PUL/ASC. Emphasis added.

Bibliography “Ads and Announcements.” Lafayette Evening Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), June 19, 1922. “Advertisement.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), September 9, 1924. “Advertisement.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), October 17, 1925. Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s. New York: Harper Perennial Classics, 2010 (originally published in 1931). Bray, Peter. “Lafayette Street Railway Power House.” Railroad Relocation Project, April 1980. https://cdn.loc .gov/master/pnp/habshaer/in/in0100/in0187/data /in0187data.pdf. Chambers, David. “The Lafayette Street Railway.” Electric Railway Journal 32 ( January 26, 1929): 1–51. “Citizens in Favor of School Nurse.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), April 7, 1922. Couetil, Justin. “Purdue’s Place in the Belle Époque.” Unpublished paper, Purdue University, 2016. Crunden, Robert. American Salons: Encounters with European Modernism, 1885–1917. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Curtis, Susan. Dancing to a Black Man’s Tune: A Life of Scott Joplin. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1994, 2004. Debris. 1983. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib .purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/44400. ———. Charlotte: Delmar Company, 1989. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu /cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/57233.

———. Chicago: Rogers Printing Company, 1944. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu /cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/23837. ———. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1971. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/45540. ———. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1973. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/51909. ———. Dallas, TX: Taylor Publishing Company, 1987. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/56663. ———. Fowler, IN: The Benton Review Shop, 1940. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/25203. ———. Indianapolis: Central Publishing Company, 1956. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/32982. ———. Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1922. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/15592 ———. Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1923. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/14644. ———. Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1924. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/16098. 56

———. Lafayette: Haywood Publishing Company, 1926. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/21275. ———. Montgomery: Paragon Press, 1967. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu /cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/53001. ———. Montgomery: Paragon Press, 1968. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu /cdm/ref/collection/debris/id/46142. ———. State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1990. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http:// earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris /id/58912. ———. State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1992. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http:// earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris /id/54714. ———. State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1993. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http:// earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris /id/63366. ———. State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1995. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http:// earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris /id/57756. ———. State College, PA: Jostens Printing and Publishing, 1996. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http:// earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref/collection/debris /id/61148.

Douglas, Ann. Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995. Executive Memorandum No. 40, Appointment of Prof. G. C. King as Consulting Engineer, October 21, 1924. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. Farsight, Alexi, and Nicoli Control. “Smokstak: Center of Learning” in “Synthetic American,” Purdue Engineer parody (March 1967). Gilbert, David. The Product of Our Souls: Ragtime, Race, and the Birth of the Manhattan Musical Marketplace. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2015. Ginsberg, Allen. “Howl.” In The Norton Anthology of American Literature, shorter fifth edition, edited Nina Baym, 2698; 2703. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1999. “Great Utility of Electricity Is Pointed Out.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), June 2, 1923. Heslop, Madison. “Murky Drops from Old Pump Rotten: The Old Pump, the ‘Purdue Woman,’ and the Ancient Order of the Dormitory Devils.” Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research 3 (2013): 44–49. http://doi.org /10.5703/jpur.03.14.07. Kushner, Marilyn S. The Armory Show at 100: Modernism and Revolution. London: Giles Publishers, 2013. Leach, William. Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Lears, T. J. Jackson. Fables of Abundance: A Cultural History of Advertising. New York: Basic Books, 1995. ———. “From Salvation to Self-Realization: The Therapeutic Roots of the Consumer Culture, 1880– 1930.” In The Culture of Consumption: Critical Essays in

American History, 1880–1980, edited by Richard Fox and T. J. Jackson Lears, 1–38. New York: Pantheon Books, 1983. “Local Institutions Aided by Budget.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), February 21, 1923. The Mid Century Debris. Lafayette, 1924. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. Miller, Arthur J. Einstein, Picasso: Space, Time, and the Beauty that Causes Havoc. New York: Basic Books, 2002. O’Sullivan, Luke. “The Idea of a Category Mistake: From Ryle to Habermas, and Beyond.” History of European Ideas 42, no. 2 (2016): 178–94. Perlman, Bennard. Painters of the Ashcan School: The Immortal Eight. New York: Dover Publications, 1988. “Purdue Movie to Be Shown Here.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 8, 1923. Purdue University Board of Trustees. Board of Trustees Minutes, January 16, 1925. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref /collection/bot/id/9384. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, August 3, 1925. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/8755. ———. Board of Trustees Minutes, June 4, 1960. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue .edu/cdm/ref/collection/bot/id/13754.

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“Purdue University Builds New Plant.” Power Plant Engineering 29 (September 1, 1925). “Radio at Purdue.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), February 3, 1923. “Radio Program to Be Broadcasted at University Tonight.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 19, 1923. “Record Year at the University Now Indicated.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), September 18, 1924. Ryle, Gilbert. “The Origin of the Category Mistake.” In The Concept of Mind, 1949, 60th Anniversary Edition, edited by Julia Tanney, 12. London: Routledge, 2009. Topping, Robert W. A Century and Beyond: The History of Purdue University. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press, 1988. “Travelogue to Be Given at Purdue.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 17, 1923. Tunkin, Zane Scott. “The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Static Pop Culture Ideas on Male Gender.” Iowa Historical Review 1, no. 1 (2007): 45–56. “University of Air for Middle West.” Lafayette Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN), January 3, 1925. West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, February 16, 1891. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, April 17, 1893. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, May 16, 1892. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. West Lafayette, Town Record, Vol. 3, July 19, 1893. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries.

ESSAY 4 HEATING AND POWER PLANT–NORTH: HOME OF THE “BOILERMAKERS”

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Lynn Parrish, PhD candidate, Philosophy and Literature Program, Purdue University

Editor’s Note: In this essay, the Power Plant will be referred to as Heating and Power Plant–North, or HPN. Author’s Note: This essay was made possible by the contributions of several individuals who donated their time and memories of Heating and Power Plant–North. Mr. Harold Lambirth Sr. was one of these valued contributors and passed away shortly before this book was published. We honor Mr. Lambirth’s memory by sharing his story as a part of this essay.

Heating and Power Plant–North (HPN) was foundational to the development of a young Purdue University and, through its role of supplying power and heat, aided in establishing Purdue as the influential research institution that it is today. Technologically state-of-the-art for its time, HPN expanded and evolved per the demands of the growing University until it could no longer keep pace and was eventually rendered obsolete. Constructed in 1923–1924 and open for operations in late 1924, HPN delivered power to Purdue University for over sixty-seven years. It was decommissioned in 1991, and one year later its iconic smokestack was dismantled, officially signaling the end of an era. While the remaining physical structure was extensively documented before demolition, the voices of former employees were more difficult to capture. The lived experiences of these former and current university employees and students who worked at HPN are instrumental in recognizing the full impact this facility had on campus. These nearly anonymous individuals were rarely seen, but their presence was felt unknowingly by all: scholars, students, staff, and community. Oral history interviews conducted primarily on-site before demolition allow Purdue University— through the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center—to superimpose humanity on an otherwise pragmatic structure and to document the personal contributions of those whose work was essential for the University’s basic operation. The oral history audio recordings capture personal recollections and also provide invaluable information regarding the inner workings of HPN. By documenting and preserving this

individualized information, Purdue contributes thoughtful historical data to its own records while simultaneously conserving these personal contributions for generations to come. This project incorporates the two primary aspects of my academic research. First, and broadly, the architectural: history, theory, and design of architecture. Second, and perhaps most importantly, the relationship of the built environment and its human subjects—the interconnectivity of the physical structure and the form and function of the space it creates in shaping human interaction and influencing social behavior. Typically, my work has centered on sacred space, but sacred in a broad sense. Religious structures are an obvious example of sacred space, but art museums as repositories of cultural heritage also fall under this umbrella. In both instances, the structures and the artifacts they contain represent the deep, abiding, and perennial values and sociocultural traditions that give meaning to and reflect the historical trajectory of human society. The roles that these structures play within a given society confer sacrality and depth upon them. Through my interactions with HPN and the people who occupied the facility, I have come to realize that this structure is another manifestation of sacred space. Although this structure’s sacredness is relative to Purdue, it is a testament to the University. With the words and personal testimonies of those who knew HPN from the inside, the building’s deep significance to these individuals is evident. HPN was the hub of energy—the glowing heart in the center of campus—that literally powered the University, enabling it to function as a venue for 60

research and education. However, that was not the extent of its contribution. The physical structure of HPN was dominated by its towering smokestack, which performed both functional and symbolic roles. Functionally, the smokestack released byproducts of HPN’s industrial production of power, but it served symbolically as a visual representation of Purdue itself. A guiding—even iconic—beacon that announced Purdue’s presence within the surrounding landscape; its tower and smoky plume could be seen for miles (reportedly thirty1) and became the University’s most conspicuous geographical indicator, the industrial equivalent of a modern GPS point. The industrial machinery that powered HPN, and the workers who maintained it, resemble facets of Purdue’s long history as a mechanical and technical institution. This ideology is loosely reflected today in the image of Purdue Pete—an unofficial mascot of the University—a “boilermaker” who always appears with a sledgehammer. He personifies the spirit of Purdue, its overriding ethos of active, engaged, and applicable education gained through hard work and personal responsibility and accountability. This ethos continues to be reflected, most recently in the “We are Purdue, What We Make Moves the World Forward” advertising campaign and the introduction of Maker Spaces throughout campus, including the planned Maker Space and Geographical Information Visualization Center in the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), which occupies the former site of HPN. The campaign focuses on how the deliverables from Purdue students and faculty, whether tangible or intangible, have the power to further the world. While students and faculty are creating this power

with their research and production, HPN once held the role of providing physical power to campus, making such achievements possible. HPN also contributed to the educational mission of Purdue University by serving as an active learning center for its student engineers. As a functioning power plant, student engineers utilized HPN as a laboratory to observe and participate in its operation, thereby gaining vital hands-on experience that reinforced the more theoretical curriculum of the traditional classroom. This tradition of learning through experience still can be found in programs across the University in student projects, internships, and study abroad programs that incorporate classroom projects with active, hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. Prior to HPN’s demolition, I conducted oral history interviews with individuals who shared an intimate, lived connection with HPN, though not always in the same way or under the same circumstances. By interviewing retired employees, current employees at the Walter W. Wade Utility Plant (HPN’s successor) who began their career at HPN, and alumni who had experienced the facility as a classroom, a more holistic view of the role that HPN played in the history and community of Purdue University materialized.

Marty Nelson Marty Nelson (pictured in Figure 4.1) began working at Purdue in the early 1970s, and he is quite familiar with HPN. For the interview,

Figure 4.1 Marty Nelson, a Purdue employee who provided additional manpower at HPN when it was needed. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Marty walked through HPN, offered his valuable insight into the production processes that took place there, and pointed out the exact locations where the following memories were made. Marty was quick to state that he was never assigned to HPN as a full-time employee, but he often provided additional manpower when necessary; his technical knowledge and personal memories offer a valuable relationship to the sacredness of the plant. 61

Marty started working at the plant in the 1970s as a steam mechanic, a part of the “Tunnel Gang,” a group he proudly claimed membership to for 41 years.2 He details going to HPN as extra support during the harsh winters of January 1976 and 1977: “They had trouble getting the coal out of the top bunker because it was frozen. It used to come in by railcar, and snow would get in [them], [which] would make the trail up the elevator to the coal bunker. . . . Joe [Arnett] and I had to go up on that

Figure 4.2 Because the boilers generated steam, the heat in the this area of the Power Plant was often oppressive. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

catwalk and literally take sledgehammers and beat the coal out of the shoots—because it froze with the snow and ice—so that the boilers could work.”3 When asked how walking on the narrow catwalk with a sledgehammer felt, Marty responded, “Well, you know what, back then, in the mid-1970s, I was fairly young and adventurous. It didn’t bother me, but it would now!”4 He also recalled the oppressive heat generated by the boilers (see Figure 4.2) and described HPN as “very hot . . . I remember at one

time . . . I was working here poking the coal out from that coal bunker. My mom used to pack me ham and cheese sandwiches wrapped in foil. I’d lay them here 10 or 15 minutes, and they’d be ready at 12 noon . . . hot sandwiches. That was our microwave oven back in the ’70s.”5 When HPN was the primary power facility, coal was brought to the plant via railcars that rolled through campus. Figure 4.3 shows how the railcar 62

Figure 4.3 This 1928 campus map illustrates the size of Purdue in the decade the Power Plant was built. The railroad tracks pass the Power Plant (B13) in the center of campus and spans to what was then the Hen House on the northeast end of campus to the southwest, passing the Cattle and Sheep Judging Barn. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

.

Figure 4.4 This 1965 aerial view of Purdue shows how the Power Plant, center with smokestack, became the physical center of the academic buildings. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

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track spanned from the southwest corner of campus, running parallel to University Street along the face of buildings surrounding what is known today as University Hall, before winding around to the Power Plant in North Campus. HPN was built near the prominent buildings on Purdue’s campus to provide heat and power to the surrounding area. As campus expanded, HPN increasingly became the physical center of Purdue (see Figure 4.4). This central location caused some logistical issues with coal cars delivering coal to the plant. “To my knowledge,” Marty explains, “there were no . . . railroad warning signals that crossed State Street north and south. . . . When you saw the black and gold crane and the coal car coming, you were supposed to stop and let them go through.”6 Indicating to an old crane, Marty says, “Eventually when they didn’t use railcars anymore, they left the crane here.”7

The Process As HPN neared the end of its operation, the railcars were ruled obsolete and dump trucks brought in the coal. “Trucks would deliver the coal up here instead of railcars,” Marty said, pointing to the old coal bunker.8 “The dump trucks would come up and just dump [coal] in there and, before that, why, the railcars . . . would open up the doors on the bottom of the railcars and, if there wasn’t too much snow, it would fall right out.”9 A coal conveyor with “little buckets on it about a foot deep . . . would take it all up to the top floor above the boilers into a big, long, coal bunker,” which could be accessed by way of a narrow catwalk that ran its length.10

Figure 4.5 Above the feed hopper, there were small mirrors angled down for workers to see the coal fill level. Image courtesy of Elizabeth Bower.

From the bunker, coal would be funneled via a metal chute to a boiler’s feed hopper (see Figure 4.5) when the supply of coal was running low. The feed hopper stood in front of the boiler and had a mirror angled down for workers to see the reflection of the hopper’s fill level. The “operator here could see how much coal was inside that hopper so that he could strategically move [the chute] along and get that hopper full. . . . It was not an automatic process back then.”11 64

A metal scale attached nearby (the particular one pictured in Figure 4.6 stuck on 6), “was to tell the boiler operator that he had about a six-inch bed of coal going in . . . this grate system there would rotate this way, and it would pull the coal in from the feed hopper.”12 Inspection doors lining the side of the boiler (see Figure 4.7) provided a way for the firemen to determine how the fire was burning: “He could look in there and see the fire . . . that’s what these inspection doors are for. . . . That grate

system would pull the coal through at just the right speed according to however fast the firemen wanted it. If it was really cold outside, then we really need to get a bunch of coal moving through there pretty fast for more steam.”13 When the coal had moved through the boiler and turned to ash, it would drop into a chute that led to the bottom of the building where it would be manually collected (see Figure 4.8). Marty said, “Each boiler has one or two of these, and the guy, whoever the ash man was, he’d pull [a] cart (see Figure 4.9) back here underneath and pull [a] lever down, and ashes from the boiler would come out until he got the cart full. . . . There used to be a cable on the front of the cart. He would have to winch it up, because, you notice the uphill grade? . . . You’d have to go through the base of the smokestack (see Figure 4.10), pull that cart up, and it would be dumped outside.”14

Figure 4.6 Boiler operators used an indicator scale to determine how much coal was being deposited in the hopper. Image courtesy of Purdue University/ Mark Simons.

Marty offered a valuable technical description of the intricate inner workings of HPN. Additionally, he suggested contacting a colleague, Joe Arnett, who then suggested also reaching out to longtime HPN employee Harold Lambirth Sr. to further the collection of HPN histories. And while Marty explained the day-to-day function of HPN, Joe and Harold demonstrated a deeply personal connection with the building.

Figure 4.8 The ash had to be manually collected from a chute at the bottom of the Power Plant. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Figure 4.9 To collect the ash, workers would use a cart before transporting the refuse outside. Image courtesy of Purdue University.

Figure 4.7 The inspection doors lining the boiler helped the firemen check the status of the fires. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

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Figure 4.10 It was necessary to go through the base of the smokestack to dump the coal ash. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Joe Arnett and Harold Lambirth Sr. Directly before HPN was set for demolition, Harold Lambirth Sr. (pictured in Figure 4.11), a retired employee, took a final walk through the facility while recording his oral history and detailing his memories of HPN. As we walked through the now defunct Power Plant, Harold recalled his time working in HPN—the jobs he performed, the physical conditions under which he operated, and, perhaps most importantly, the people with whom he worked. It was a privilege to accompany Harold through HPN to see how the space held a more profound purpose than the architectural and industrial function it is more commonly known to have. Through Harold’s recollections, an abandoned industrial space became occupied with images of its previous inhabitants. What manifested itself most was a powerful story of camaraderie and solidarity from an individual who experienced it. Harold took great pride in the service that he and his colleagues provided and expressed his regret that the Power Plant would soon be no more. Harold repeatedly and expressively described his love for his job: “I’ll always say I loved my job. . . . And I miss it yet, and I always will!”15 Harold proudly was employed at HPN for “51 years and 7 months,”16 an incredible testament of the then-89year-old’s career. Although at times slightly wobbly on his feet, Harold was thrilled for the opportunity to see HPN one last time. He led the tour, recounting memories dating back to October 1946 when he began working at the facility. It was in the

basement near the stairs leading to the main level that Harold was hired at 84 cents per hour.17 Harold was tasked with several different jobs over his 51 years at HPN, but his longest and most loved was operating the crane. The locomotive crane was purchased in 1945 from the Orton Crane and Shovel Company after the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the $19,510 expense.18 Joe Arnett, a current Purdue employee at Walter W. Wade Utility Plant who spent time working with Harold in HPN, joined the interview and tour, and he described his job and its relation to Harold’s. Pointing to the now-defunct rail tracks in the basement of HPN, Joe explained, “This railroad track over here used to be what we’d push the ash cart up and down to get the cinders out the door on the south end . . . and then Harold would come along with his crane . . . on train rails . . . and would dip the cinders out and take them down south.”19 Operating the crane was a memorable role Harold held (see Figure 4.12). As Joe further explained its use, Harold chronicled how he first learned how to use the crane: “Oh, I loved that thing,” he said, “in 1960, Kenneth Powell taught me to operate it and . . . really taught me how to take care of it. When he left it . . . I was sure glad he did because I just fit right in.”20 Harold went on to describe the crane’s eventual donation to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum on September 13, 1992—a date he still remembered. “Kenny Burns . . . donated the crane to the museum there in North Judson [Indiana], and I made a point to be in the convoy. They pulled the crane up on the trailer—[it] had four axles under it to pull the thing up on the trailer.”21 The following day, the crane was on its way to North 66

Figure 4.11 Harold Lambirth Sr. was a retired employee of HPN. Harold operated the crane during his employment at HPN. Image courtesy of Purdue University/John Underwood.

Judson. Today, the crane can be seen in action still bearing “Purdue University” on its side and conducting work around the museum’s property.22 Through Harold and Joe’s reminiscences, a common lived experience at HPN began to emerge.

Figure 4.13 Mechanical equipment that helped the boiler operate required manual labor to ensure it was functioning properly. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

woke up the fire was right on the back end of it”25 (see Figure 4.13).

Figure 4.12 The large, yellow crane from Orton Crane and Shovel Company was used to remove cinders from the Power Plant. Image courtesy of Andrew Hershman.

Upon entering the old break room, Harold exclaimed, “That’s where we ate lunch. . . . We used to work from 7 to 5 with an hour off for lunch, and, of course, we would eat pretty quickly and then get in a euchre game,” at which point both men laughed.23 Joe smiled and said, “This used to be a swinging place back when we worked here.”24

Slowly moving past the boilers, Harold told the story of a fellow employee, Louie, who worked as a boiler man and engineered a system to alert him when more coal was needed: “[He] had a situation on Number 7 boiler around the big shaft . . . like a rope, he put a weight over here that when that shaft would turn enough times, it would drag that heavy weight off of the chair. Kaboom! It was time for more coal! One time he didn’t hear it, and when he 67

Joe remembered a similar experience where a coworker “used to bring a windup alarm clock in here, and he would time it to where he would get it so he could sleep and then the alarm would go off. Well, one night he called Barney and he said, ‘Barney, the fire’s out. You’ve got to come in and help me and have the maintenance crew come in.’ Well, they were working away shooting kerosene in the boiler trying to get the coal ignited and the alarm clock that was sitting on the table under a bunch of rags went off, so our boss went over and picked the rags up and said, ‘Hey Bob, you might want to set that up a half an hour next time!’”26 HPN would leave a lasting imprint on both Joe and Harold’s lives. For Harold, not only did he spend

over 51 years working within its confines, forming friendships and memories along the way, but through his employment and acquaintances Harold was introduced to the woman who would become his wife. “She was with me more than 50 years . . . oh, yeah, I’ve had a pretty good life. I’m proud to say it. My son lives across the alley from me. . . . My daughter lives . . . beside him.”27 In a very real sense, HPN gave Harold Lambirth a paycheck, but perhaps most importantly, his family.

Harry Hirschl The only oral history interview that did not take place within HPN was with Harry Hirschl (pictured in Figure 4.14). Instead, Harry’s interview was conducted in the lobby of his retirement community. He arrived fully prepared with college transcripts and other Purdue-related memorabilia. Unlike the previous interviewees, Harry experienced HPN from the perspective of a student engineer. A 1947 graduate of Purdue University, Harry recalls HPN as a center for active learning. He recalled: “I was a senior in the fall semester at Purdue University taking mechanical engineering courses for mechanics, machine design, heat power, heating, and ventilating. . . . The course in heat power was five credit hours, and I got a grade . . . from working in the Power Plant itself.”28 Harry described the Power Plant as “a relatively clean place.” “The instructors were there showing us the instrumentation, and the coal came into the Power Plant from coal cars delivering the stuff that had a bottom that opened up. The coal dropped in through

Figure 4.14 Harry Hirschl graduated from Purdue in 1947 with a degree in engineering. Although never an employee in HPN, he received credit in his heat power course from working in the Power Plant. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

a chute and then was carried into the building on conveyer belts. Then the coal was fed into the boilers,” Harry explained of the process.29 He credits the guidance and pedagogical practice of Andrey A. Potter for his thorough education: “The general theme of engineering was established by Andrey A. Potter, the dean, and his mode of operation was to produce engineers that could get out and work on the floor of the factory. It was really a hands-on kind of thing. You learned by doing.”30 68

Harry remembered class sizes of between twenty and twenty-five people, composed entirely of men. “We were reading the gauges. We were watching the operation—watching the boilers produce this steam, and then the steam went to turn the turbines that generate electricity. They were all right in front of us”31 (see Figure 4.15). Harry fondly recalled his undergraduate experience, stating, “when I came to Purdue I really fit in here . . . it was a great time.” This was so much so, that after joining the family

business for a few years, Harry returned to work at the University, beginning as an administrative assistant and working his way to the head of what would become Space Management and Academic Scheduling.32 He continued: “I worked at Purdue for thirty years, and that was one of the things I want to say, and you can quote me on this, ‘Engineering is a great education.’ I was never a practicing engineer, but . . . the basis of engineering is the idea of a system, of things working together. . . . I ended up as a director of administrative computing, and all of that came out of an engineering background. In many respects, it was the direct result of Potter’s emphasis of being able to do things.”33

Conclusion Through the collective memories of Marty Nelson, Harold Lambirth Sr., Joe Arnett, and Harry Hirschl, a portrait of the inner-lived experience of HPN becomes manifest. Instead of the sterile and defunct industrial structure that I originally encountered, I came away from this oral history project with a new, enhanced understanding of HPN through the documented experiences of these men—their stories peopled its remains with the experiences and occupational contributions of those who worked together to keep the University

Figure 4.15 Students were able to learn by observing the Power Plant in action. Generator 1, pictured here, is one that Harry Hirschl and other students would have been able to access. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

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operational. From Joe clearing cinders with his ash cart, Harold scooping them out with his crane, and Marty pitching in when extra manpower was needed, to the educational instruction of Harry, HPN contributed more than just power to campus. It provided a livelihood to its employees, an active learning center for its student engineers, and an identity for the whole community. HPN was, in a very real sense, the root and foundational locus of Purdue University providing heat and warmth in every sense. Just as HPN was never stagnant—operating twentyfour hours a day, seven days a week, increasing its number of boilers as the University increased in size and energy need, modernizing from railcars of coal to dump truck deliveries—Purdue itself has never stagnated but has continued to evolve. As an aspect of this evolution, HPN eventually was unable to meet growing needs. From its construction in 1923–1924, it continually modernized and evolved until it could do so no longer and was subsequently replaced with a more fuel-efficient, environmentally sound method of providing energy: Walter W. Wade Utility Plant. HPN sat dormant in the center of campus, a decaying monument of Purdue University’s industrial past, until spring 2014 when its demolition began to make way for another era of progress. While the structure is now lost, it will not be forgotten. With these oral histories, HPN was extensively photographed both inside and out, and its demolition was recorded through time-lapse photography. Select artifacts salvaged from within will be incorporated in the new Wilmeth Active Learning Center. HPN reflected the hardworking ethos of the boilermakers—both

Notes

Figure 4.16 Notes from former HPN employees were etched on a feed hopper. “We will definitely miss you North Plant,” reads part of the note. “The boys from the South,” reads the rest. Image courtesy of Elizabeth Bower.

literal and symbolic—of Purdue University, and the WALC will continue that tradition. By virtue of its geographic location on the former site of HPN, the homage it will pay through artifacts and photographs, and its emphasis on active engagement in educational pursuits, the WALC will become a new hub of energy in the center of campus. While the energy it creates will not physically power Purdue University, it will bring people and ideas together to facilitate and power the scientific creation and research innovation that have become synonymous with the home of the Boilermakers.

1. Purdue University, 1989 Debris, Debris Yearbooks Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 517. 2. Marty Nelson, interview with Lynn Parrish, West Lafayette, March 24, 2014, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 2–3. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid., 28. 5. Ibid., 3, 36. 6. Ibid., 9. 7. Ibid. 8. Ibid., 8. 9. Ibid. 10. Ibid., 7. 11. Ibid., 11. 12. Ibid., 11–12. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid., 4–5. 15. Harold Lambirth Sr., interview with Lynn Parrish, West Lafayette, April 15, 2014, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 7. 16. Ibid., 2. 17. Ibid., 9–10. 18. Purdue University Board of Trustees, Board of Trustees Minutes, May 10, 1945, Board of Trustees Minutes Collection, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 10. 19. Joe Arnett, interview with Lynn Parrish, West Lafayette, April 15, 2014, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 3. 20. Lambirth, 30. 21. Ibid., 16. 22. Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, “Photos from Around the Museum,” http://www.hoosiervalley.org/. 23. Lambirth, 7–8. 24. Arnett, 16. 25. Lambirth, 21–22.

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26. Arnett, 21. 27. Lambirth, 34. 28. Harry Hirschl, interview with Lynn Parrish, West Lafayette, September 25, 2015, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 2. 29. Ibid. 30. Ibid., 3. 31. Ibid., 4. 32. Ibid., 10–11. 33. Ibid., 11–12.

Bibliography Arnett, Joe. Interview with Lynn Parrish. West Lafayette, April 15, 2014. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. Hirschl, Harry. Interview with Lynn Parrish. West Lafayette, September 25, 2015. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum. “Photos from Around the Museum.” Accessed 29 October 2016. http://www .hoosiervalley.org/. Lambirth, Harold, Sr. Interview with Lynn Parrish. West Lafayette, April 15, 2014. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. Nelson, Marty. Interview with Lynn Parrish. West Lafayette, March 24, 2014. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. Purdue University. 1989 Debris. Debris Yearbooks Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries, 517. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref /collection/debris/id/57180. Purdue University Board of Trustees. Board of Trustees Minutes, May 10, 1945. Board of Trustees Minutes Collection. Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/cdm/ref /collection/bot/id/19203.

ESSAY 5 A PHOENIX FROM THE COAL ASHES: AN ACTIVE LEARNING CENTER EMERGES ON THE OLD POWER PLANT SITE

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James L. Mullins, Dean of Libraries, Esther Ellis Norton Professor, Purdue University

Editor’s Note: In this essay, the name old Power Plant is used to describe the 1924 structure. This is sometimes shortened to “plant.”

Establishing the Role of Libraries As a land-grant university focused on agriculture, engineering, and science, Purdue was chartered in 1869 to complement the more traditional academic role of Indiana University (IU), founded in 1820 as the State Seminary. Since the founding of Purdue, the distinction between the mission of the two universities has grown and deepened as IU developed strengths in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and medical fields. IU also founded a law school—a logical progression for a university strong in the fields of philosophy, political science, history, and literature. The curriculum and the research of the faculty required the growth of book collections and, to a lesser extent, periodical collections. Massive research collections were built at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Michigan, Illinois, and, of course, Indiana University to provide the learning and research resources required. Beginning in the early twentieth century, impressive, iconic library buildings were built to make the collections accessible and well managed. This “edifice complex” continued throughout the twentieth century until the twenty-first-century emphasis on digital access and cooperative collection development and storage became the norm. The libraries at Purdue took a different path. Although Purdue installed a library in its first academic building, the Main Building (now University Hall), it was small by comparison to

Figure 5.1 The Main Building housed a small library. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

much older university library collections (see Figure 5.1). Much of the learning and research at Purdue was not undertaken in the library, but rather in the laboratories as is typical in agriculture, science, and engineering fields. Soon after William M. Hepburn was hired as librarian in 1904, he began to argue for a new, freestanding library (see Figure 5.2). In 1913, not quite ten years after his arrival, the University Library opened. Built in a modified Greek Revival/ 72

Romanesque/Renaissance style, its layout was consistent with the principles of library design from the beginning of the twentieth century until the end of World War II (see Figure 5.3). The Purdue University Library was designed to meet the need for a growing collection and to provide student study space away from distractions. The entrance to the University Library was on the ground level with a main staircase that led to the second floor. The Reading Room, located on the

Figure 5.2 William M. Hepburn was a librarian whose efforts to build a freestanding library resulted in the University Library. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

second floor, was designed to impress upon those who entered that they were in a “sacred” place— one where your demeanor was to be serious and focused on learning in the tradition of scholars from the past (see Figure 5.4). The decor included busts of significant personages to further emphasize this scholarly environment. The Reading Room comprised the entire front two elevations of the building facing south to State Street. It was flooded with sunlight during the day through large windows facing south, east, and west. Below the windows were bookshelves holding reference

Figure 5.3 The University Library was built with a modified Greek Revival/Romanesque/Renaissance style. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

books available for use in the Reading Room (see Figure 5.5). The design and decor of the room was reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts Movement popular in the early twentieth century; the interior somewhat belied its exterior classical/Renaissance design. In the center of the Reading Room on the north wall was a large circulation desk where students and faculty requested books housed in the stacks. The book stacks were closed and not accessible to students. Library staff retrieved the materials as 73

requested. There was no browsing of the shelves. The book stacks, located to the rear of the building, were constructed for efficiency with minimal floor heights and were integral to the structure of the building, providing support to the surrounding walls. This type of construction, closed stacks with a large reading room, was typical of library construction through the 1940s. The remainder of the University Library was dedicated to special collections, such as newspapers and rare books, along with offices for the librarians and staff who managed the library.

The reason being that much of the research of the chemists, as was also true for biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and engineers, was published in journals, making it imperative to have print indexes and journals near their offices and labs.

Figure 5.5 The University Library Reading Room was filled with light from the large windows. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

This need by faculty to have access to library resources opened the floodgates for the creation of branch libraries at Purdue. The other scientific and engineering fields lobbied and received their own branch libraries or created libraries within their department or school outside the responsibility of the University librarian. As new buildings were

Figure 5.4 The floor plan of the University Library that was built in 1913. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

It was not long before it became apparent that the collections were growing at a faster rate than the University Library could accommodate. When construction began on the Chemistry Building, later to be named Richard Benbridge Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry (see Figure 5.6), in 1927, it was determined that a chemistry library would be included.

Figure 5.6 Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry was built with a library. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

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erected to house academic departments, libraries were created in most of them so much so that by the 1960s there were over forty branches listed in the Libraries annual reports. After World War II, a change occurred in the concept of library design. The idea that stacks should be closed and accessible only by library staff was challenged when, in 1948, the first “supermarket-style” library opened at the University of Iowa. Just as thirty years earlier the general store was replaced by the open-shelf market, it was now the turn of libraries to adjust to new demands. The supermarket library was designed to provide students and faculty with the ability to browse collections on the shelf with study space interspersed throughout the book stacks. The Iowa library was the first constructed to integrate collections and study in one space, signaling the death knell to the era of the old-style reading room and closed stacks. Nearly every library facility constructed after 1950 was designed in the new supermarket style. It was not long after the new University Librarian John H. Moriarty (pictured in Figure 5.7) arrived in the mid-1940s that he began to lobby for a new library that would serve as the central university library, augmenting or replacing the University Library. His efforts resulted in the construction of what is known today as Stewart Center, a building conceptualized as both a conference center and a library. The design of Stewart Center called for the new building to be attached to the University Library on the south and west sides. The new construction would integrate and connect with the older building. Where the two buildings abutted,

When Stewart Center opened in 1958, the concept of integrating a library and conference center was well ahead of its time—unfortunately, too far ahead of its time for logical and effective management of the library collections. After the new Central Library (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education, or HSSE) opened, it was not long before it was apparent that having access to all floors throughout the library created a collection security nightmare. Moriarty has been reputed as saying, “I asked for a library; instead I was given a sieve!” It was only a short time before the library access points on the second and third floors were closed and only used for emergency exits to keep the books from sprouting legs. Access to the Central Library was restricted to the main entrance on the west side of Stewart Center.

Figure 5.7 John H. Moriarty advocated for a new library space, what is known today as Stewart Center. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

an open space of approximately ten feet was left to accommodate variations in expansion and contraction of the two buildings and variations of floor heights (see Figure 5.8). Many spaces within the University Library were renovated in the style of the 1950s to blend the two buildings. The 1913 Reading Room was transformed from an exemplary Arts and Crafts design to a mid-century modern style (see Figure 5.9). 75

The Lilly Building for Life Sciences was dedicated in 1960, and the new Life Sciences Library, most often referred to as the Lilly Library, was located at the front of the building on the second, third, and fourth floors. Designed in the most modern style, it integrated stacks and study space.1 Under Joseph M. Dagnese’s leadership of the Libraries during the 1970s and 1980s, the initiative continued to consolidate branch libraries (see Figure 5.10). A major consolidation occurred when the A. A. Potter Engineering Center opened; the building included the new Siegesmund Engineering Library (see Figure 5.11 and Figure 5.12), which consolidated six engineering libraries when it opened in 1978. With the opening of the Siegesmund Engineering Library, it became apparent that efficiency in operation was afforded through

Figure 5.9 The University Library Reading Room underwent renovations in the 1950s. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 5.8 Space was left between the University Library’s walls and the surrounding Stewart Center. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

consolidation of multiple branch libraries. It not only reduced overhead costs for staffing in multiple locations, but created access to diverse engineering collections in one place, creating greater efficiency in the use of collections by faculty and students.

that would be dedicated to their specific needs. At that time, the disciplinary libraries were viewed more as the domain of graduate students and faculty; undergraduates were discouraged from using the disciplinary libraries or even the Central Library.

In addition, Dagnese responded to a concern expressed by undergraduate students for a library

The undergraduates found an advocate in Senior Vice President of the University Dr. John W.

2

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Figure 5.10 Joseph M. Dagnese (far right) led the libraries during the 1970s and 1980s. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

Hicks (pictured in Figure 5.13). Hicks coordinated and guided the project with the support of many student volunteers. This effort ultimately resulted in the funding and construction of the Undergraduate Library, now known as the John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library. Sometimes it is referred to as the “Underground Library” due its location underground, adjacent to Stewart Center (see Figure 5.14 and Figure 5.15).

Figure 5.12 Siegesmund Engineering Library in the Potter Engineering Center consolidated six engineering libraries. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 5.11 The Potter Engineering Center was named for Andrey A. Potter, former dean of engineering. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Rebecca Wilcox.

Emily Mobley became dean of Libraries upon the death of Joseph Dagnese in 1989 (pictured in Figure 5.16). Early in her tenure, Mobley lobbied for a freestanding library that would replicate the iconic libraries at other major research universities. However, with the advent of digital products, the idea of building a monumental library to house collections on-site was viewed as unnecessary at Purdue.

A significant contribution during Mobley’s tenure was the addition and integration of digital resources to the holdings and resources of the Purdue Libraries. Digital resources first became available on floppy disks, and later compact discs, using in-house networks and servers to make the data available prior to the advent of the Internet. Once the World Wide Web HTTP protocol became ubiquitous through the Internet in the late 77

Figure 5.13 Dr. John W. Hicks. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

Figure 5.14 The Hicks Undergraduate Library seen next to Stewart Center. The entrance to the library is the only part of the structure above ground. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

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ability to access information digitally. However, these new resources demanded additional funding. Mobley was successful in gaining support from the University administration and Libraries’ donors to purchase the revolutionary new databases.

Figure 5.15 Inside the Hicks Undergraduate Library. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

The phenomenal growth in digital access coupled with a decline in the use of print materials began to have an impact on how library space was viewed. It was no longer a place where students and faculty went to access indexes, abstracts, catalogs, or the books and journals lining the shelves. Now, students and faculty could search online catalogs and databases to find any articles they needed. In the new millennium, a researcher could not only search and identify an article or book, but could retrieve, in many instances, the desired article’s full text online. In the humanities and social sciences, the printed book remained the standard medium to undertake research. In 2002, Mobley undertook a renovation project of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (HSSE) Library in Stewart Center to make it a more attractive place to study and access library resources.

Figure 5.16 Emily Mobley, dean of Libraries, 1989–2004. Image courtesy of Purdue University/ John Underwood.

1990s, it was no longer necessary to learn unique search protocols to access information databases. Along with this was the development and growth of search engines, allowing nearly everyone the

In 2004, the transition from the print age to the print/digital age had progressed to a point where it was becoming apparent that a major rethinking of Purdue’s distributed library system structure was needed. The Libraries maintained the legacy print collections, although it was becoming difficult to manage the print collections while being responsive to the need to provide support and service for the plethora of digital products now available through the Libraries. 79

In July 2004, James L. Mullins assumed the position of dean of Libraries at Purdue. He previously had served as associate director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries and as a director at Villanova and Indiana University South Bend Libraries. Although a humanist by education and orientation, Mullins became a devotee of the manner in which engineers and scientists approached problem solving: That is, define the problem, determine the options and variables involved, experiment with solutions until the optimal solution appears, then implement. He found the environment at Purdue University and its Libraries to be the perfect setting for this approach. Purdue and its Libraries possessed a can-do attitude that supported experimentation and risk, thereby taking a different route than prescribed by tradition or legacy (see Figure 5.17).

Figure 5.17 James L. Mullins has served as dean of Libraries since 2004. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Andy Hancock.

A Potential Solution: The Old Power Plant A large and imposing building was situated at the center of campus, opposite the Bell Tower. The old Power Plant was no longer functioning and was in a state of deterioration. There was no clear or stated plan to reuse the structure or the site if it were cleared (see Figures 5.18 and 5.19). In 2005, Provost Sally Mason was presented with a plan to renovate the old Power Plant into a central science and engineering library. Her response was that the site had to be cleared and a classroom building be built there due to the critical need for updated classroom space on campus. The average age of classrooms was around sixty years, and their design did not lend itself to new modes of instruction. Understanding this obvious need, the Libraries administration, working with campus designers and planners, developed a plan to construct a combined classroom and library facility on the site—half classroom and half library—with a clear demarcation between the two. However, a major problem had to be resolved before anything could be built on the site of the old Power Plant. The plant had been decommissioned in the late 1980s, and its iconic smokestack had been leveled to the roof of the building in the early 1990s. The role it played in creating heat and power resulted in conditions inside and outside the plant that posed obstacles for the demolition of the building and the construction of a new facility. In addition to the contaminants of

Figure 5.18 The Power Plant and ENAD facilities were falling into a state of disrepair. Image courtesy of Purdue University Libraries and Purdue Engineering Computer Network.

Figure 5.19 The age and lack of maintenance of the old Power Plant is evident when viewing newer structures through its dilapidated windows. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

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asbestos, coal ash, and tar in and around the building, the old Power Plant was still the center of the grid that distributed power and heat throughout the campus. This complex power and steam grid needed to be deactivated, and asbestos and other contaminants in and around the building required abatement before a new use could be created for the site. These factors drove up the cost to take the building off the grid and to demolish and clean the contaminated site. The University obtained estimates for demolition and clean-up of the site ranging from $9 to $17 million—a staggering cost considering this did not include moving and disconnecting the old Power Plant from the power distribution and steam grid. This added another $10 to $12 million, making the total cost to prepare the site for reuse as high as $29 million. Added to this was the challenge of conducting a massive demolition at the center of a densely populated and active campus. In response to the excessively high cost to prepare the site, other options were sought to combine the engineering and science libraries. One possibility was to expand the Potter Engineering Center and the Siegesmund Engineering Library and bring into the combined facility several of the science libraries. Consultants were hired, floor plans were created, and the total cost was estimated at approximately $10 million. When no donor could be identified to fund the project, the University was not able to support the expansion, so that option was dropped.

Challenges for Consolidation of the Libraries A major obstacle to centralize the libraries at Purdue was the distribution and housing of rare books, documents, and archives then contained throughout various library locations. Nearly all fifteen libraries held special materials. This included rare and substantial collections in the history of transportation, economic history, and the history of printing (see Figure 5.20). In addition, archival material documenting Purdue’s history was scattered among the various libraries as well as many units, departments, and colleges. Although the Libraries had an archives and special collections department, it was not designated as the University archives to preserve and document the history of Purdue. Libraries had begun to collect rare books, documents, and archival material in the 1920s, by any means available to them. There was no mandate from the University to capture the historic record of Purdue and its important role as one of the premier land-grant universities. By the early 2000s, the Libraries archives and special collections were housed in a space that had at one time been the Reading Room of the University Library and, after the construction of the Stewart Center, was designated as the “Book Nook.” The large, once-grand room was converted and housed not only the archives and rare book collections, but also 81

was the space designated for use of the rare and archival collections. Security and preservation was minimal. During the day, a major access corridor to the Libraries administrative offices bisected the space. The conditions in the space did not engender trust in the ability of Libraries to preserve and provide access to these important collections (see Figure 5.21). The fragile, plaster death mask of John Purdue was housed on top of a filing cabinet that could easily have been bumped and damaged or, worse yet, lost entirely (see Figure 5.22).

Figure 5.20 Rare books, documents, and archival materials were housed among the many libraries at Purdue. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 5.21 Stewart Center Room 278 once contained the Archives and Special Collections for Purdue University Libraries. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 5.22 The John Purdue death mask is housed in the Purdue Archives and Special Collections. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

In 2005, the need to create a centralized special collections and archives space was apparent to all, within the Libraries, the University administration, and the Libraries’ Deans Advisory Council (DAC). The DAC took this on as a challenge to raise the funding necessary to convert space on the fourth floor of the HSSE Library in Stewart Center. The fourth floor was underutilized, half of which was occupied by small cubicles for faculty research and use of the collections. With the construction of the Steven C.

Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education, the need for these faculty cubicles had declined significantly. By the early 2000s, most of the cubicles were used for little more than out-of-office storage. The other half of the fourth floor was used for storage of duplicate and gift books (see Figure 5.23). An engineering and design study was undertaken, and it was determined that the fourth floor could not only create an outstanding Reading Room

Figure 5.23 The fourth floor of the HSSE library did not have a primary purpose before renovation. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

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Figure 5.24 The Reading Room in the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center is better equipped to allow patrons a place for safe archival browsing. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

for the use of the special collections and archives, but also house a closed stack area (known among archives and special collections professionals as a “vault”) that could be fitted with environmental and security control that would ensure the preservation of important collections well into the future. With leadership by the DAC, the funding was secured, including the lead gift from Virginia Kelly Karnes, a 1935 graduate of Purdue. In 2009, President France Córdova opened and dedicated the beautiful, yet functional, Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center. During the ceremony, President Córdova

designated the Libraries as the University archives, with the responsibility for collecting, organizing, preserving, and making available the historical record of Purdue University. Once the Karnes Center was completed, the special collections and archives dispersed throughout the Libraries’ multiple locations were moved to the central space, creating a locus of outstanding research materials that had been more or less invisible inside and outside Purdue. It also provided a facility that assured donors of important manuscripts and documents that their collections would be well housed and preserved, including such noted alumni as Neil Armstrong (see Figure 5.24). 83

Although the intent to centralize the science and engineering libraries was a priority for Libraries, it did not stop the effort to update and create more twenty-first-century student-centered spaces on campus. In 2009, a multiyear renewal and renovation of the Management and Economics Library in the Krannert Graduate School of Management (Krannert) began. This three-phased project moved the print collections to the basement of the newly constructed Jerry S. Rawls Hall, which allowed Libraries to transfer most of the third floor of Krannert from library stacks to purposes needed by the Krannert School of Management and the Department of Agricultural Economics in the College of Agriculture. This transfer included the provision of funding from Krannert and agriculture alumni to underwrite the first phase of the library renovation. However, to complete the next two phases, a major donor was needed, and one came forward with a major gift commitment; Roland G. Parrish of Dallas, Texas, made the lead gift that enabled the overall renovation of the business library. In recognition of his commitment, the library was named the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics when it was dedicated in April 2012 (see Figures 5.25 and 5.26).

Figure 5.25 The old Management and Economics Library in the Krannert Graduate School of Management. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 5.27 The Learn Lab in Parrish Library. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Figure 5.26 The Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics in the Krannert Graduate School of Management. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

The Link Between Active Learning and Libraries The renovation of the Parrish Library provided insights into how instruction could be rethought. The Learn Lab in the Parrish Library was a new concept in Purdue instruction (see Figure 5.27). It was designed to utilize technology at the cutting edge, allowing entire classes to sit at computers and use them for individual instruction or in team collaboration efforts. The software installed in the Learn Lab enabled an individual student or teams of students to share with their classmates

the results of their work. In addition, the instructor could view the work of each individual or team member. The Learn Lab was designed without a front of the room. The instructor could teach from the center of the room or on any side. The visual display in the room was located on three walls, allowing students to sit facing multiple directions while always having a clear line of sight of the screen on which the instructor may be demonstrating a search strategy or an example to clarify the course content. Libraries faculty worked with a classroom vendor to create this pilot for learning spaces that ultimately became a model for similar spaces at Purdue and across the country. 84

When Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Dale Whittaker saw and experienced the Learn Lab in the Parrish Library, he became excited about the possible impact this could have on instruction throughout the University. Knowing that Purdue was concerned about the level of student success in the large first-year courses that included lectures to as many as five hundred students, it was felt that this teaching method of large lecture halls, popular in the twentieth century, was not consistent with the way students learn and achieve today. Therefore, Whittaker was successful in obtaining support from Provost Tim Sands for a new program entitled: Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation, or IMPACT (see Figure 5.28). Office of the Provost Figure 5.28 Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation, or IMPACT. Image courtesy of Alejandra Carrillo-Munoz.

Center for Instructional Excellence

Information Technology at Purdue

Digital Education

Libraries Discovery Learning Research Center

IMPACT is a University-wide initiative that encourages faculty to explore new ways of instruction, including what is now commonly referred to as active learning or student-centered learning. Active learning involves the students by encouraging them to take a role in their own learning and instruction. To provide in-class time to work in teams, lectures may be given by the instructor online, allowing the students to view the lecture during their own time and as many times as they may need, unlike the one chance they have when in a large lecture hall. The asynchronous lecture frees up class time for individual and team collaboration to explore underlying principles in the course. To support the instructor in learning this new teaching methodology, staff from the Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE), Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP), and faculty from the Libraries (PUL) collaborate with the instructor to design new ways of teaching the course content. This effort was started in 2011, and the number of courses redesigned each year through IMPACT has continued to grow annually. Longitudinal research is ongoing to determine whether student-centered teaching of the IMPACT program has made a significant difference for Purdue students. Preliminary results indicate it has improved the retention rate from the first to the second year, and the overall course success rate has also improved. Active learning requires a different classroom design and setup. The typical classroom layout for the last century or so are rows of tablet arm chairs. This lecture-centered layout creates maximum

Figure 5.29 While a more efficient use of space, a typical classroom has fewer active learning features. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

efficiency. The instructor talks while using visual aids and tools, such as whiteboards, or previously, blackboards, opaque projectors, overhead transparency projectors, or photographic slides. Now slideshows have superseded nearly all other visual methods. In the lecture-style class, the interaction between the instructor and the students is most likely answering a question raised by a student, or, in the more engaged classroom where the instructor may use the Socratic method, the instructor may ask a student to explain a theory or respond to a question posed by the instructor (see Figure 5.29). In a typical classroom furnished with tablet arm chairs, the required square footage needed per student station (space surrounding the chair for access and egress) is typically between 12 to 15 square feet. In contrast, an active learning classroom usually requires, depending upon configuration, 85

Figure 5.30 Active learning classrooms feature layouts that promote student interaction and collaboration. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

approximately 25 to 30 square feet per student station. The increase in space required is due to the collaboration expected or integrated into the learning experience. Seating students around round or rectangle tables is not as efficient as seating students in rows (see Figure 5.30).

When the first cohort of IMPACT instructors was brought together in 2011, a study was undertaken to determine if there were classrooms available to accommodate the new style of teaching. The University Registrar’s Office working with University Space Management had been extremely efficient in scheduling classes to all available classrooms during a typical day; therefore, nearly all classrooms were assigned. Reducing a large lecture-style course to multiple sections following an active learning model created an immediate need that could not easily or even possibly be met.

Active Learning Classroom Space Provided by Libraries Two members of the Libraries faculty approached the Libraries’ administration about contributing a room, B858, in the basement of the John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library for assignment as an active learning/IMPACT classroom. Libraries administration was reluctant to part with the room because once the space was given to the Registrar for classroom assignment, the room moved from the inventory and control of Libraries to assignment by the Registrar. This would reduce its availability for use by students and by Libraries faculty and staff. However, upon reflection and consideration, Libraries administration agreed to this reassignment knowing that it was critical to ensure that the IMPACT program would have space to pilot this new, innovative teaching methodology (see Figures 5.31 and 5.32).

The Office of the Provost provided funds to furnish the room with new tables and chairs, along with improved technology and wireless access. Beginning in fall 2011, IMPACT courses were offered in the reconfigured B858. These courses included: Communication 318: Principles of Persuasion; Agronomy 320: Genetics; Agronomy 255: Soil Sciences; Psychology 120: Elementary Psychology; Mechanical Engineering 274: Basic Mechanics II; Political Science 101: American Government; and Biology 131: Biology II, among others. These classes, primarily ones taken by first-year students, had an immediate impact. Not only did they provide a different learning experience for the students in the course, but they also introduced the Hicks Undergraduate Library to these first-year students. At Purdue, the library facility is not heavily used by students in the morning, which is typical for all universities. As the day progresses, the use of the library spaces becomes busier until late afternoon into the evening and late night hours when library space is at its busiest. However, with the IMPACT classes, students were coming to the Hicks Undergraduate Library to attend their class beginning as early as 7:30 in the morning, and the classes continued throughout the day until the last class ended at 5:30. It did not take long before faculty and staff in the Libraries began to witness a positive, win/win situation. Space that had been underutilized during the day was now being used efficiently for class sessions. Once the class sessions ended, the classrooms became highly desirable collaborative study spaces with state-of-the-art furniture and technology— a natural extension of library study space. 86

Figure 5.31 Hicks Undergraduate Library Room B858 before its transformation to an active learning classroom. Image courtesy of Purdue University/ Mark Simons.

Figure 5.32 After B858 was renovated, it contained IMPACT course technology for active learning. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

The plan was to roll out IMPACT-designed courses the first year, and then add a new cohort of faculty and courses each year thereafter. Therefore, it was understood that the need for additional active learning classrooms would grow for the next academic year. Concurrently, Libraries made the decision to reintegrate the book and periodical collections from the Hicks Undergraduate Library into the disciplinary libraries, thus making space available to be repurposed for student study and

collaborative spaces. This availability of space within the Hicks Undergraduate Library also provided areas that could be used to create two additional IMPACT classrooms. The renovation and creation of two additional active learning classrooms was completed during summer 2012. Once a larger number of students were engaged in the IMPACT/active learning classes, the Libraries faculty and staff made an interesting observation: students were meeting in teams before class in the Hicks Undergraduate Library; going to their class session in one of the three classrooms in the Hicks Undergraduate Library; and after class, coming back to the Hicks Undergraduate Library to continue working on team projects. Sometimes the instructor would join the students, continuing the active learning beyond the classroom. This observation had never been made before, since classrooms and library spaces had never been so integrated into one space. This new dynamic of library and classroom integration needed to be studied.

Innovative Integration of Library/Classroom Study Space Dr. Nancy Fried Foster, an anthropologist who had undertaken research about how students viewed and used library space at the University of Rochester, shared her research with the academic library community through articles and presentations at conferences. She was invited to Purdue to lead a team of Libraries faculty and staff in early 2013. As the consultant to the team, she helped

integrate anthropological methodologies into determining what Purdue students wanted in a library space as well as observing how they used the spaces. It was preparatory to developing a program plan for a new combined classroom/library facility. Such a facility was gaining priority on campus with the understanding that there was a substantial need for new spaces to accommodate active learning classes. In order to allow transition from one class or building to another, the facility would need a central location on campus. The site that met that need was the location of the old Power Plant/ ENAD (see Figure 5.33). Once the decision was made that a classroom/ library facility project, identified officially as the Classroom/Library Building, was a high priority, program planning began in earnest. The program plan defined what the building would comprise, such as classrooms, learning/library spaces, and informal areas including a café. In order to determine which University capital projects would be submitted to the State of Indiana for funding support, a University committee cochaired by the then-Vice President for Finance Al Diaz and then-Provost Tim Sands requested proposals from all colleges and units at Purdue. Once understanding the need, the level of support, and the potential sources of funding, a ranked order was determined. During summer 2012, the Classroom/Library Building project was chosen as the capital project with the greatest likelihood of receiving successful funding by the State of Indiana. Since the State of 87

Figure 5.33 The Power Plant was centrally located on Purdue’s main campus. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

Indiana had not funded or approved bond authority for a capital building project since 2007, it was determined that the project had to excite and convey Purdue’s commitment to the learning and success of its undergraduate students. Therefore, of all the projects considered, the Classroom/Library facility was ranked first among projects submitted by Purdue for funding. Before the final decision was made, a group of senior administrators met to discuss how this proposed project should be submitted, first to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and, ultimately, to the State Budget Agency. One senior administrator said asking for state funding for this project with the name “Classroom/Library Building” was a surefire way to be denied funding. The name conveyed no excitement, appeared to be out of date, and was not in step with the changing environment of education. An unofficial name that had been given to this building project, the Boiler STEAM Commons, was proposed. This nickname had been given to the project since it would replace the old boiler steam Power Plant; as a connection to the name used to identify Purdue students and alumni as Boilermakers; and that STEAM would stand for Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics, the disciplines represented or underlying the research undertaken within the combined engineering and science library. However, another senior administrator stated that Purdue could not take any proposal to the legislature that had “boiler” in its name. The question was raised: Are the legislators all IU grads? No, it was because years ago after Purdue had made a request to replace or add to the south boiler plant, at a cost of many millions of

dollars, Purdue was told not to submit subsequent boiler requests. Even though it was pointed out that this was not for a boiler replacement or expansion, it was considered too risky. Since the building was being designed to support active learning, it became obvious that it should be called the “Active Learning Center,” a name that would require questions and imagination to understand its intent and would likely generate support and interest. So, the request for support to the legislature for funding of $50 million was made. In addition to funding the overall project, including the demolition of the old Power Plant/ENAD, the University committed $13 million and the Libraries accepted the responsibility to raise $16 million. The total project cost was set at $89 million.

Project Challenges and Fund-Raising The higher-than-anticipated project budget was due to the unknowns associated with the cost of demolishing the old Power Plant/ENAD. As previously stated, asbestos was a known contaminant in the building. The potential of contaminants in the ground surrounding the building created estimates for demolition anywhere from $7 million to $19 million. Added to the challenge of contamination of the building and ground was the challenge to demolish the building in the middle of an active campus with students, faculty, and staff passing by the site on a constant basis. The University 88

administration made the commitment that it would allocate $13 million toward the demolition, and if the cost ultimately was greater than the $13 million, it would cover that overage, allowing the project to count on $63 million for the construction and furnishing of the building. In order to document and recognize the important role of the Power Plant and its once iconic smokestack, it was determined that, prior to demolition, a group of librarians, archivists, historians, facilities personnel, architects, and photographers would enter the old Power Plant and select artifacts that could be integrated into the Active Learning Center with the intent to memorialize the old Power Plant and its important role for decades. Chosen artifacts included the ash cart, steam pipes, valves, gauges, boiler and smokestack doors, among many other items. The artifacts would be integrated into the Active Learning Center to help convey the story of the old Power Plant and its iconic smokestack, which would be told through a guided cell phone tour created by a museum designer professional. The demolition of the old Power Plant/ ENAD began during summer 2014 and was completed in late spring 2015 (see Figure 5.34). On the last day of the 2013 legislative session, April 30, the request from Purdue for $50 million to help fund the Active Learning Center was approved. Typically, funding for capital projects at the state universities is given through bonding authority. This allows Purdue to sell bonds to fund the building, and the state would cover the payment and interest on the bonds as they came due. Instead, the legislature approved allocating cash to cover its

entire commitment. As far as anyone within the University could determine, this was the first time a capital project at Purdue had been funded with cash from the state. The general consensus was that the University would not turn it down! What remained was the need to raise the $16 million required from gifts and donations. Immediately upon announcing the commitment of the state and the need to raise funds, the chair of the Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council Larry Hiler committed a lead gift toward the goal; the Lilly Endowment contributed $5 million to the project; and the Thomas and Harvey Wilmeth family made the substantial gift of $8 million. In April 2015, to recognize the Wilmeth gift, the Board of Trustees agreed to name the facility the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center. The remainder of the needed funds was made by numerous alumni and donors. The goal to have all funds raised or committed by May 1, 2015, was achieved.

Design Concept for the Wilmeth Active Learning Center Since the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) was to be at the heart of the campus—and the surrounding architecture evoked the “Purdue style”—it was determined that the WALC would blend with surrounding buildings in mass, design, and construction elements, that is: redbrick, Indiana limestone trim, and red tile roof. Even though the exterior design would be consistent with the

Figure 5.34 The 1924 Power Plant was demolished with ENAD in summer 2014 through spring 2015. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

parameters prescribed by its location, it was not so for the interior. The interior needed to reflect the new way of thinking about the integration of classroom and learning/study/library spaces (see Figure 5.35).

in a library; and unite them in a seamless whole that allows for spaces to serve primarily in one role during all or part of the day and then morph into another role during the remainder of the day.

In environmental science, there is a term used to define the area in which two different ecosystems touch or overlap: an ecotone. It has been observed in nature that when two different ecosystems come together as an ecotone, the flora and fauna develop attributes that combine the needed characteristics to survive in both, therefore creating an entity stronger and more resilient than if it were in only one ecosystem. The program statement for the WALC took this concept from nature and applied it to the intent and design of the building. That is, take what is typical of a classroom, in this case an active learning classroom; combine what is typically found

Typical aspects of an academic library during the past seventy years are to combine instructional and research materials, such as books and journals (in today’s world, more and more, it is digital access), within the study spaces to allow for browsing and to provide a visual identity to knowledge that has been accrued over centuries. Prior to the 1940s, all university libraries and most public libraries were built with large, elegant reading rooms that provided the opportunity to research and access materials. The reading room was separated and remote from the stacks of books and journals, which were fetched by library pages. The reading room provided the

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Figure 5.35 The Wilmeth Active Learning Center was designed to reflect features of the old Power Plant as well as the surrounding buildings. Images courtesy of Trevor Mahlmann.

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atmosphere that uplifted the soul and connected the researcher to the scholarship and knowledge that had inspired others for millennia—an experience that the modular or supermarket library could not convey. In the WALC, the individual and collaborative learning and study library spaces would be integrated adjacent to and with the dedicated active learning classrooms in such a way that it would be difficult to say where the library and classroom space starts and stops during the day. Once the class day ends around 5:30, the entire building becomes available for individual or group study, more or less making the entire WALC a library. Classroom design had not changed since it first came indoors to escape the vagaries of nature. A typical classroom was arranged with the rows of seats/chairs and the professor seated or standing at the front of the room, usually lecturing or using the chalkboard as a visualization of her/his lecture. This format was ingrained throughout academe, and Purdue was no exception. Although classrooms had been retrofitted with the latest technology, the manner in which instruction took place had not changed. In the WALC the focus was on creating learning environments that fostered team collaboration. There are 27 active learning classrooms that represent a variety of seating ranging from 50 to 108 seats or 300 in the theater. Evidence shows that students learn and retain more when they apply what they are learning rather than memorizing. Therefore, an active learning classroom is exactly that: students and faculty standing,

walking, talking, and sharing with each other. Observing this interaction and activity is important and critical to understand the difference between active and passive learning. Classrooms with glass walls allow those outside the classroom to see what is going on and observe the different learning style. In the WALC, after classes are over for the day, the classrooms become group study spaces and the glass walls provide a level of security that would be impossible without the ability for staff to observe what is occurring in the room. Studies have shown that a popular place for students to study on campus are empty classrooms. However, one of the findings of the user study group was that, although an empty classroom in the evening was on the list of places where students would consider studying, they—primarily women—also admitted that there was a level of concern about security since classroom buildings were not monitored during the evening or night. In the WALC, the building will be staffed by Libraries employees 24/7, with the ability to observe what is going on in the classrooms in the evening while students are using them for study.

Architect Selection During early 2014, the University embarked on the process of selecting an architect for the WALC. A request for proposals was made available to architectural firms nationwide. Historically, Purdue has preferred to hire Indiana-based or Indianaaffiliated architects. 91

Four firms were chosen to make a presentation to a committee made up of all interested parties at Purdue. From those presentations, the decision was made to select BSA LifeStructures of Indianapolis. The committee was impressed by the work completed at two other universities, University of Notre Dame and Indiana University. In addition, their recent work on the new Lyles-Porter Hall at Purdue University provided the evidence needed that they were a firm that studied the existing architecture of the University and then designed a building that was innovative, creative, and unique, but still in line with the overall architectural design of the campus. In order to help the BSA LifeStructures architects conceptualize the needs of a twenty-first-century academic research library, a trip was made to four universities that had library buildings that reflected either recent construction or were similar in intent to the planned Active Learning Center. A cohort of seven included two architects and the interior designer, the library consultant, the Purdue project manager, the Libraries dean, and an undergraduate representing the Undergraduate Student Libraries Advisory Council (USLAC). The student viewpoint was critical. The four universities visited were North Carolina State University, Duke University, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Each facility was considered from different vantage points, but primarily assessed on how students were using and not using various spaces. At Duke, there was the opportunity to see classrooms with glass walls and to determine if visibility into the room bothered the students or instructor (they did not seem to notice). Concepts and observations of what

was gained from the visit ultimately worked their way into the design of the WALC. Over the next six months, the architects worked with all interested parties on campus, the classroom design staff, technology staff, Libraries administration, faculty and staff, and students. The USLAC was actively involved in critiquing design elements. As furniture was presented by the interior designer, samples were brought to campus. Students were asked to try the furniture and offer their opinions.

Conclusion A project as complicated and massive as the WALC required many, many people to make it happen. The many necessary twists and turns required commitment from several parties to identify the need for the new building; to move the project through the approval process; to identify

and secure funding from the State of Indiana, the University, and donors; and to demolish the old Power Plant/ENAD. These groups included the architects, the contractors, and facility staff. No one person can be identified in making this project come to fruition; rather, it was the collaboration of individuals who have unique skills, talents, and knowledge who made this project successful. Ultimately, it will be the students and faculty who will use this building daily for years to come who will decide if the work committed to this project was on target or not. The hope is that this building was designed in a manner that will allow it to be modified to meet changing needs in the future while maintaining a presence on campus that is consistent with the design ethos of Purdue at the very heart of the University for a very, very long time, just as the old Power Plant provided the heat and power as well as an active learning laboratory for well over sixty years. The Wilmeth Active Learning Center is a worthy successor at this important location at the heart of the campus.

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Notes 1. Kelly Delp, “Agronomy’s Home for 52 Years Lilly Hall of Life Sciences,” adapted from Fred Patterson’s Glimpses of History, column from Purdue Agronomy Alumni Newsletter, https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/Documents/Lilly _Hall_history.pdf. 2. Purdue University College of Engineering, “A. A. Potter Engineering Center,” https://engineering.purdue .edu/Engr/AboutUs/Facilities/PotterEngineeringCenter.

Bibliography Delp, Kelly. “Agronomy’s Home for 52 Years Lilly Hall of Life Sciences.” Adapted from Fred Patterson’s Glimpses of History, column from Purdue Agronomy Alumni Newsletter. https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/Documents /Lilly_Hall_history.pdf. Purdue University College of Engineering. “A. A. Potter Engineering Center.” https://engineering.purdue.edu /Engr/AboutUs/Facilities/PotterEngineeringCenter.

ESSAY 6 END OF AN ERA: THE RAZING OF THE OLD POWER PLANT AND ENAD

{

Mark Shaurette, Associate Professor, Assistant Department Head, Purdue University School of Construction Management Technology

Editor’s Note: Throughout this essay, the name Heating and Power Plant–North or HPN will be used to describe the 1924 structure as it is discussed in present-day use. Some references to the old Power Plant will be used when the structure is discussed in the past, before the Walter W. Wade Utility Plant was built and when the 1924 structure became “north.” All images in this essay are courtesy of Mark Shaurette unless otherwise stated.

}

Introduction During preparation of this essay, the new Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) was being constructed on the previous site of the Purdue Heating and Power Plant–North (HPN) facility and the Engineering Administration Building (ENAD, formerly called the Service and Stores Building). This chapter provides an overview of the planning and execution of the demolition project, which was required to prepare the site for construction and reuse as the location for the WALC. In addition to introducing the need for demolition, the case study provides pictorial and narrative detail of the complex modern demolition practices required for projects of this nature that are often overlooked by casual observers of the process.

The Role of the Demolition Contractor as Prelude to Progress Demolition is often the first step in a major construction project. While some buildings are constructed on open ground where clearing of vegetation and grading of the site are all that is required to begin the building process, demolition is required when existing buildings already occupy the site. As the built environment ages in any welldeveloped community, demolition of all or part of existing buildings becomes necessary to construct advanced structures that meet current needs. As a self-contained community, the built environment on the Purdue campus is no different.

When the steam and power production facility for the north campus no longer offered clean and efficient service, it was gradually removed from operation. Even though less than a century ago HPN was state-of-the-art technology, age and inefficiency ultimately meant the prominent campus location would one day be better utilized for another purpose. Ultimately, the site became a logical choice for a new building to provide expanded library and classroom space. Like many new construction projects, demolition of HPN and ENAD was required as an important step in Purdue’s continued twenty-first-century progress. While many observers believe demolition is a simple process of blowing up buildings, the use of explosives in demolition is a surprisingly infrequent occurrence. Although implosions are exciting and well publicized, they are logistically complex undertakings when carried out in a densely developed area. This complexity often leads to both high risk and high cost. As a result, most demolition is completed using powerful machines that are specifically designed to break down building components into smaller pieces so they can be safely removed from the jobsite. These powerful machines are a joy to work with for those employed in the demolition industry and fun to watch for bystanders who encounter them. Nevertheless, machine demolition has a degree of complexity and risk that is misunderstood by many. Demolition is an inherently dangerous business requiring planning, skill, and careful attention to maintain safety. This essay will use the HPN and ENAD demolition project to describe how the demolition process can incorporate respect for the past and the need to balance 94

cost with benefit throughout the demolition of a complex structure in preparation for new construction activity.

Predemolition Activities There are potential risks in the removal of an existing structure. The presence of hazardous materials is frequently one of those risks. Early investigation and planning is necessary to manage or mitigate the potential release of hazardous materials into the environment. The first step in this process is the identification of hazardous materials that were part of the original building construction, as well as contaminants that became part of the building or building site during its operation. Other risk-management steps include limiting the impact of demolition on surrounding structures and their occupants through the careful selection of a professional organization to carry out the demolition. Preliminary planning for the HPN demolition project included a study team of engineers, landscape architects, and environmental consultants coordinated by a construction management company. A few of the key preliminary study areas were an assessment of potential for asbestos-containing materials (ACM), lead-based paint (LBP), and other materials commonly associated with power plants, such as mercury-containing fluorescent lights and switches; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), such as Freon and Halon; and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) containing ballast, switches, caulk, and transformers. Radioactive materials found in exit signs and measuring devices also were considered. Specific

The early study team included consideration of the site coordination and project schedule to establish a cost estimate for demolition of HPN and ENAD. The cost to provide safety for pedestrian flow around the project, protection for surrounding buildings, minimization of dust or dirt tracked offsite from the project, noise abatement, storm water management for the site, and coordination to ensure continued utility services for the campus were included in the estimate.

Figure 6.1 1940s aerial view of the old Power Plant. Image courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections.

locations were identified where these materials were probably located, and abatement or remediation and disposal of the known hazardous materials was factored into the expected cost for the project. An additional complication was the fact that, for many years, HPN was the hub for utilities that serviced the north campus. While some of the utilities that flowed through and around HPN had been relocated through the years, many utilities remained

to be disconnected, relocated, and removed. This included: relocating steam pressure reducing valves (PRVs), removing a 115,000-gallon condensate tank on the roof of the building, the elimination of several tunnels under HPN, the relocation of several transformers and their associated feeders, the disconnection of electrical and low-voltage systems, and consideration for an eight-inch storm sewer line that was identified for relocation near the perimeter of the site. 95

A separate contingency estimate was prepared for the remediation of soil around HPN to remove or clean contamination that may have occurred through operation of the plant. The built environment’s impact on the site is often difficult to determine in advance. As can be seen in the aerial photograph of HPN in early years of operation (Figure 6.1), coal and coal ash were previously handled in the location east of the old Power Plant (where the white building is shown in the photograph). This area was most recently used as a parking area. Coal residues containing heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, arsenic, and nickel have a potential to contaminate the soil in the area surrounding the building, especially where the coal ash from plant operations are handled. Investigation using soil borings was necessary to determine the true extent of soil contamination. The study team was not able to complete soil borings for the predemolition study, so cost estimates were based on assumed contamination levels. The resulting preliminary cost estimates, excluding utility relocation options and soil remediation, totaled $9,555,000. When utility relocation options and soil remediation were added, the team estimated a maximum total cost of $16,835,000.

Preparing for the Active Learning Center Design Development and Demolition The decision to move forward with design and construction of the WALC on the previous site of HPN and ENAD was made in 2013 with a goal to begin construction in spring 2015. Because of the complexity of the demolition project and the desire to begin demolition and construction prior to completing building design development, a design-build approach was chosen for the demolition and site preparation contract. The contract approach used a strategy for contractor selection, known as best-value bidding, where the contractor selection is based on a variety of factors, not bid price alone. A design-build consultant was engaged to coordinate the best-value design-build bidding process. The consultant issued a presolicitation notification in early 2014 outlining the planned release dates for the request for qualifications (RFQ) and request for proposals (RFP). Under the best-value procedures, the most qualified bidders would be determined through RFQ submissions, which included: company and project team details, company financial and insurance details, health and safety program information, women and minority subcontractor participation, experience and performance history, references, and other descriptive material outlining company expertise demolishing structures on a university campus. After all RFQ submissions were received, a summary of the RFQ submission details was created

for the ten submitting contractors. Based on a scoring sheet and discussion completed by seven Purdue physical facilities managers and advisors during a public meeting as required by the State of Indiana, the three most qualified bidders were issued an RFP. The final bidding process involved responses by each contractor that outlined in substantial detail: schedule, demolition plan, permitting, health and safety, demolition debris and hazardous material removal and disposal, coordination with Purdue, and information about the shoring support system for holding back the earth surrounding the site where excavation for the new building was to be completed. The RFP response submissions, which included over one hundred pages of project specifics for each bidder, were examined in detail by the design-build consultant who submitted an opinion of compliance to the RFP for use by Purdue physical facilities in determining the bestvalue bid. The project management team used the submissions and consultant’s opinion documents to score the RFP responses on fifteen components of the bidding team’s details and project work plan during a public meeting. The best-value numerical scoring of the qualitative components of the detailed submissions had a potential total score of one hundred, yielding a composite numerical score that could be used to adjust the bid price. The final adjusted score was obtained by dividing the actual bid by the best-value score. The adjusted bestvalue score was used for the purpose of awarding the contract. Only after the best-value numerical scoring was completed were the price proposals opened and adjusted. 96

National Wrecking Company (National Wrecking), based in Chicago, Illinois, submitted the lowest base scope of work bid and remained the low bidder after adjustment for the best-value scoring. The bidder with the second lowest base bid had the highest adjusted bid price due to their lower best-value score. Final negotiations with National Wrecking resulted in a schedule of values for the planned activities dated June 25, 2014, which totaled $5,973,000—well below the initial study team estimate. One component of this cost differential was the completion of a soil boring analysis that revealed that the site would meet the criteria of a low-priority site with minimal contamination by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The analysis indicated the need for removal of limited soil quantities (less than fifty tons) to remediate the existence of minor quantities of arsenic and hydrocarbons as well as proper disposal of some uncontaminated combustion byproducts (about six thousand tons of cinders and coal) from a limited area.

The Demolition Process The preparation for the demolition of ENAD and HPN had many similarities to the process for new construction on the Purdue campus. As with new construction, schedules and various insurance or regulatory documents were coordinated with Purdue Physical Facilities Department of Construction Services. Where demolition differed from new construction is the manner in which demolition plans were communicated and implemented. For demolition, the specification for work

to be accomplished is not exclusively guided by written documents created by a designer or engineer who outlines what is to be created. Rather, the demolition was guided, to a large degree, by what currently existed and the desired conditions of the site when the demolition activity was completed. Because precisely what needed to be removed was determined by exposing unknown conditions as demolition activity proceeded, it was necessary for the demolition contractor to adapt their plans to existing conditions and understand as much about the structure being demolished as possible. Because some of these conditions were unknown until demolition was well underway, the contractor adopted a fluid yet adjustable plan as the project progressed.

Site Preparations to Serve Both Demolition and New Construction Some site-related preparations, such as project office location, parking facilities, material or equipment storage locations, sanitary facilities for project workers, and fencing and screening for site security, were specified and coordinated prior to

Figure 6.3 Excavators processing and sorting debris from ENAD.

commencing demolition activities. In preparation for the new construction of the WALC, Purdue coordinated with National Wrecking to allow many of these predemolition site preparations to remain after the demolition was complete. Figure 6.2 shows the initial site preparations in late summer 2014.

Demolition Begins

Figure 6.2 Prepared parking and demolition/ construction staging area.

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Initial demolition activities commenced in September 2014 with the removal of asbestos from HPN and the structural demolition of ENAD. Because of the heavy reinforced concrete structure of ENAD, a combination of demolition techniques 97

was employed in the demolition process. The masonry and reinforced concrete was broken with a crane and steel wrecking ball. The resulting debris was processed, sorted, and loaded using excavators equipped with grapples or buckets (see Figure 6.3).

Dealing with Hazardous Materials, Dust, and Noise Asbestos, which had been used as a hightemperature insulator on the boilers and steam pipes, boiler gasket material, boiler coating, roofing materials, and window caulking of HPN, was the only highly hazardous material identified in

inspections or soil borings conducted in preparation for the demolition of HPN and ENAD. Purdue had removed the easily accessible portions of asbestos during the decommissioning of the plant, but asbestos remained in many areas. Some demolition was required to access the asbestos, and a specialized hazardous material division of National Wrecking was responsible for its removal. The removal of asbestos is highly regulated, and federal statute requires that ten-days’ notice must be given to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to commencing any asbestos removal work. This notice allows time for the EPA to arrange inspection and oversight of the work if they deem it necessary. The asbestos removal work area must be contained so there is no possibility for asbestos fibers to be released into the environment surrounding the building. To accomplish this, the exterior enclosure of HPN was sealed and fans were installed to remove air from inside the building by exhausting it through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. This process of creating negative air pressure within the boiler building through filtration of the exhausted air prevented uncontrolled release of asbestos fibers. Workers who removed the asbestos had to partially demolish the boilers to gain access to the asbestos (see Figure 6.4). While wearing disposable protective clothing and powered air purifying full-face respirators, the trained workers wet any ACM for removal using various scraping tools and HEPA vacuums. All ACM debris was doubled bagged with specially labelled heavy-duty bags. Asbestos bags and haul trucks were securely closed, and

Figure 6.4 Boiler with asbestos for removal.

ACM debris was tracked using a shipping manifest through all transfers until it was buried at an approved ACM landfill. As with all dangerous procedures that take place on the demolition site, a safety manager was on the demolition site during active ACM removal procedures. Dust of any type can present a nuisance to surrounding pedestrians, buildings, and vehicles. While elimination of all dust is typically not possible (see Figure 6.5), various procedures were used to minimize the 98

Figure 6.5 Demolition dust.

impact of dust. To minimize dust, material to be crushed or broken in the demolition process is typically wet with a firehose or dust particles are captured with atomized water particles using machines very similar to snow-making equipment. Atomizing dust control machines use appropriately sized nozzles to produce 50- to 200-micron water particles. Water droplets of this size will coat the dust particles, which will then fall to the ground. Atomizing dust control machines, similar to the one used for the HPN/ ENAD demolition (see Figure 6.6), can be set to

Figure 6.6 Dust control with atomized water. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

oscillate from side to side, covering a wide area over 200 feet from the equipment location. In addition to greater dust control effectiveness, atomizing dust control equipment has a lower water demand than traditional firehose dust control and reduces the weight of the demolition debris, which must be handled for separation, loading, and transportation. For large or extended demolition projects, particulate dust monitoring is used to scrutinize the potential dust nuisance and other environmental and safety

Figure 6.7 Filter material covering Wetherill Hall intake vents.

hazards from the project activities. Because control of dust is not always 100 percent effective in every case, the demolition contractor engaged a third-party testing company to monitor dust near the demolition project to help ensure dust concentrations did not exceed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) of five milligrams per cubic meter. Also, additional filter materials were used to cover the intake vents for surrounding buildings to prevent stray dust from entering occupied spaces (see Figure 6.7). 99

Noise and vibration also can become a nuisance for those occupying the buildings surrounding the demolition site. National Wrecking minimized noise and vibration through careful timing of the most disruptive activities. Nevertheless, the demolition process can be noisy, and falling material or heavy equipment does create vibration. National Wrecking used third-party monitoring to keep noise and vibration below dangerous levels.

Figure 6.8 Fenced truck route.

Figure 6.9 Street broom cleaning truck route.

Site Coordination Impacts on Demolition Planning Many logistical issues were a part of the demolition plan. Initial planning included fencing for site security; space allocation for equipment and other vehicle parking; office and sanitary facility space; access and traffic control for trucks entering and leaving the site; procedures to minimize mud carried from the site by truck traffic; and protection for surrounding utilities, buildings, and pedestrian traffic.

Figure 6.10 Material processing and loading area. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

As is commonly experienced with complex coordination, unknowns or unexpected conditions created a need to modify the original plan. The heavy flow of student traffic every fifty minutes and the necessity to work around utility relocations performed by other contractors required National Wrecking to adapt to the conditions at hand. Figures 6.8–6.13 show how many of these logistical issues were handled.

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The Wrecking Process Although the availability of spectacular videos showing demolition implosions prompt many to think of demolition as a simple matter of blowing things up, the demolition process is far from simple and, in the vast majority of projects, involves no explosives. For the last several decades, demolition has been carried out whenever possible with powerful purpose-built machines and specialized attachments. The result has been a more efficient

Figure 6.11 Student traffic. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

process done with greater control. An added benefit has been increased safety because heavy machinery minimizes the need for workers to be close to the materials being demolished. Demolition contractors frequently refer to the process of removing installed materials as wrecking. Wrecking utilizes force to physically break building components into manageable pieces. Gravity takes over to transport the broken components to the ground where they can more easily be processed into smaller component parts for recycling or transport for disposal. The wrecking process typically begins on the interior of the building. The interior gut-out is used to separately remove materials that must be handled more carefully. Examples might be the removal of hazardous materials, operational equipment that might be reused, materials for salvage that would be easier to handle before they are mixed with materials to be disposed of, and building components that would interfere with or slow the use of gravity as part of the wrecking process. Figure 6.14

Figure 6.12 Utility relocation.

shows steel components that have been cut with a torch from their original locations high in the boiler building as part of the HPN interior gut-out. Once the interior is cleared of materials and components that might slow or complicate the mass wrecking of the building, one or more pieces of equipment are chosen to complete or support the demolition process. For the HPN and ENAD demolition, the man-lift (see Figure 6.15) was used to safely elevate workers to high locations where torches or hand tools were needed. The crane (see Figure 6.15) or excavator bucket (see Figure 6.16) was used to dig, crush, or load materials, and the wrecking ball (see Figure 6.16) was used to break building materials through impact. National Wrecking chose to remove the brick from the walls of the boiler building through impact with a wrecking ball (see Figure 6.17), exposing the steel superstructure of the building and the boilers that were supported in part by the steel frame. 101

Figure 6.13 Resulting space limitations. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

This process allowed the easy separation of brick masonry with the clamshell bucket (see Figure 6.18) or an excavating bucket. Because broken masonry can be crushed and used as fill if not comingled with waste materials, removing the brick in a separate activity allowed a more sustainable end-oflife use for the material. This process also allowed the steel structure, which has a high value when recycled into new steel, to be salvaged easily. Once a sufficient area of brick material was removed, the exposed steel structure and exposed boilers could be removed. Heavy steel was cut or weakened by burners with torches while the burners were supported at higher work locations by mobile lifts (see Figures 6.19 and 6.20). Many steel components of the building were pulled from the boilers by excavators with clasping attachments called grapples (see Figure 6.21) or removed from the steel frame structure (see Figure 6.22) by breaking the connections between steel elements. At

Figure 6.15 Snorkel lift, excavator, crane boom, and crane tools. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 6.16 Clamshell bucket and wrecking ball for crane.

times, the grapple-equipped excavator was used to hold steel elements in place while the heavy steel was cut by the burners or the excavator was used to pull the steel down after partial cutting by the burners.

Figure 6.14 HPN interior gut-out.

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To avoid the potential for premature collapse, the steel frame structure and boilers were removed in a sequential fashion. This not only maintained structural integrity of the remaining components, but allowed easy access for the excavator removing

Figure 6.18 Clamshell bucket removing broken masonry.

Figure 6.17 Wrecking ball breaking down brick walls of HPN.

Figure 6.19 Burner working at height. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 6.20 Cutting heavy steel from lift basket.

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Figure 6.21 Grapples removing boiler steel. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 6.23 Wrecking ball breaking smokestack masonry.

Figure 6.22 Grapple pulling down steel frame.

Figure 6.24 View of demolition progress looking west. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

components or the mobile lifts that were needed to safely raise burners to the locations that required steel cutting. The smokestack, which previously extended skyward, was visible from across campus during most of the history of HPN (see Figure 6.1). Due to safety concerns about loose masonry in the tall brick stack, the section of the stack that extended above the boiler building roof had been removed previously. Midway through the sequence of wrecking the boilers and steel frame, the centrally located smokestack base was removed with a wrecking ball (see Figure 6.23). Figures 6.24 and 6.25 show the progress of demolition after removal of the central stack.

it was cut into sections that were picked by the crane and lowered to the ground to be cut into even smaller pieces for transportation (see Figures 6.26 and 6.27).

Removal of a large condensate water tank from the roof level of the structure was carried out prior to the progressive wrecking of the boiler building and boilers. This tank, which was used to store steam condensate from the north campus steam distribution system until very recently, was housed in an enclosure above the boiler building proper. The tank was too large to be lifted with the crane in a single piece, thus

After the main building and boilers were removed, heavy concrete from the basement and building foundations remained. Some of this heavy concrete could be excavated and removed by the excavators with a digging bucket (see Figure 6.32), but much of it needed to be broken up with hydraulic hammers mounted to the boom of an excavator (see Figures 6.33 and 6.34).

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The HPN boilers had been installed in phases during the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in some variation in the characteristics of each boiler. As a result, the wrecking process for each boiler varied based on the boiler design and location in the building. Some were weakened by burners and pulled down while others were removed in sections by a grapple-equipped excavator to be further broken or cut apart in the material processing area of the site (see Figures 6.28–6.31).

Figure 6.26 Condensate tank in preparation for removal.

Figure 6.25 View of demolition progress looking east.

Maintaining a Safe Worksite The nature of the demolition process is inherently dangerous. Use of powerful machinery, the unpredictability of how building materials break apart and fall, the existence of hazardous materials, the use of open flames for cutting materials, unknown safety hazards uncovered during the demolition process, and human error all contribute to the potential danger.

National Wrecking utilized planning, preparation, training, and supervision to minimize the potential for unsafe conditions. As previously mentioned, early identification of ACM prompted National Wrecking to employ techniques to promote the safest removal of this hazard. Such techniques included the use of a specialized hazardous material removal contractor to create an entirely contained working environment, wetting the ACM before removal to minimize dust release, protecting workers with personal protective equipment (PPE), and providing a decontamination trailer for 105

Figure 6.27 Crane picking condensate tank sections.

Figure 6.31 Breaking down boiler core.

Figure 6.28 View of differing boiler designs. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown. Figure 6.32 Excavator digging out concrete foundations.

Figure 6.29 Accessing boilers for removal. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 6.30 Large core removed from boiler.

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Figure 6.33 Hydraulic hammer breaking basement wall. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

steel-toed boots, and gloves. Burners using torches to cut steel also used respirators with filters appropriate for the removal of toxic lead vapors or particulates from the air breathed by the burners. This was necessary because of the presence of LBP commonly used for corrosion protection on steel components. A full-time on-site safety manager provided regular safety training, including safety meetings to begin each workday to discuss potential hazards the workers were expected to encounter that day. The safety manager also was responsible for inspecting the site to ensure that unsafe conditions were promptly eliminated and to stop work if hazardous conditions were encountered during the demolition process.

Figure 6.34 Hammer breaking up large pieces of concrete.

dress and cleanup at the beginning and end of the workday. As an additional precaution, personal air monitoring of asbestos workers was performed and analyzed to evaluate their level of exposure to the hazard and the need for additional precautions to protect workers’ health. Different demolition tasks or jobs required different types of PPE. In general, the minimum PPE required for all National Wrecking workers included use of a hard hat, safety glasses,

Use of open flame for cutting and the presence of materials with various levels of ignitability make fire a potential on any demolition project (see Figures 6.35 and 6.36). To minimize the threat from fire, National Wrecking protected flammable materials near the use of open flame and falling hot slag. Both water and chemical materials for extinguishing small fires that may have occurred during the torch-cutting process were constantly maintained on the job. In addition, an evacuation plan and contact information for the Purdue Fire Department were maintained in case of fire that exceeded the contractor’s extinguishing ability. Despite the preplanning and precautions taken by the demolition contractor, a small smoldering 107

Figures 6.35 and 6.36 Conditions requiring careful fire watch. Images courtesy of Frances G. Christman.

fire occurred in an inaccessible location around the condensate tank during the cutting process for the removal of the tank. No open flame or smoke was evident during the workday, but at around one o’clock on the morning of October 22, 2014, the Purdue Fire Department was notified, and a small fire around the tank was identified and quickly extinguished.

cost of demolition. Additional recycled materials were diverted from the landfill after crushing or other processing methods to allow for a variety of uses, such as structural fill or aggregate for new asphalt or concrete. Of the 60,295 tons of material removed, 89 percent was recycled or diverted from the landfill in some manner (see Figure 6.37).

Figure 6.37 Salvaged steel beam used to spread concrete debris.

Material Handling: A Major Component of the Demolition Process The wrecking process attracts attention and is often exciting to observe, but the work of the demolition contractor is far from over when the building materials have been cut or broken and brought to the ground. At this point, the materials need to be processed, separated, loaded, and hauled to their final location. Planning and execution of this material-handling process is driven by environmental concerns, efficiency, site limitations, and client requirements. Material salvage savings and client requirements prompted National Wrecking to reuse or recycle a substantial quantity of the demolition material resulting from the ENAD and HPN demolition. Between July 2014 and March 2015, nearly 3,500 loads of material were removed from the site. National Wrecking sold the roughly 2,100 tons of ferrous and nonferrous metals as raw material for new metal products to reduce the

Material-handling and processing decisions are part of demolition means and methods planning. Both small and large material-loading equipment is commonly used for material handling on the jobsite. When material handling can be efficiently accomplished with the same machinery as used for wrecking—as in the demolition of ENAD and HPN—jobsite congestion and savings in the high cost to mobilize multiple additional pieces of machinery is realized. Identifying and clearing a location where material processing can take place is also a planning concern. Steel, concrete, and masonry all must be reduced in size to allow for efficient trucking (see Figure 6.38). Processing the material also is required to facilitate recycling and/ or maximize the price received for the recycled material. The demolition contractor must decide if this processing is best done on the jobsite to minimize the number of times the material is handled. When jobsite space limitations or conditions require it, the debris may be taken offsite for processing. In the case of the ENAD and HPN demolition, a combination of partial processing on-site with additional processing off-site was utilized. Material for reuse may also be removed from a demolition site prior to wrecking (see Figure 6.39). Materials such as controls or process equipment 108

are often sold because they still contain functional components. Reuse of materials from the boiler building took place for a slightly different reason. Due to many years of high visibility of the smokestack, the significance of the boilers in supplying heat and power for the north campus, and the representation of the boiler equipment as advanced technology of its time, parts of the structure and equipment were removed and stored for a museum-quality display in the WALC. Table 6.1 lists items that were salvaged and stored for display (see Figure 6.40 and Table 6.1). Loading and hauling the demolition debris also has complexity. Planning considerations included: what traffic pattern is most likely to allow the shortest haul time or haul distance; what size and type of trucks are required; how many trucks are needed at any time to keep the loading equipment busy without causing trucks to wait for long periods to be loaded; how will pedestrians be protected from the truck traffic; and what facilities will be used to track shipped-material weights and to ensure that trucks are not too heavy for the roads on which they will travel. These decisions, many of which are modified on a day-to-day basis based on job conditions at the time, were important considering the nearly 3,500 truckloads transported from the site (see Figures 6.41 and 6.42).

Preparing for New Construction The final step in any demolition project is to prepare the site for its next use. In some cases, the void left after basement removal must be filled to create a level site with appropriate drainage to avoid

Figure 6.40 Large boiler hatch salvage for display. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Figure 6.38 Burner processing steel for transport. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Figure 6.41 Load of steel for recycling.

Table 6.1 Items that were salvaged from HPN for display in the WALC. From the Ground Floor of HPN

From the Main Floor of HPN

Figure 6.39 Bricks salvage for reuse. Image courtesy of Frances G. Christman.

Steam Pump, Turbine Check List Signs, Gate Valve Assembly, Coal Cart and Rails, Pipe Expansion Unit View Hatch on Level 2, Oil Pump, Panel and Instrumentation Rack, Metal Cap with Hinge and Wood Block, Large Hatch (Figure 6.40), Small Hatch, Ash Capacity Gage, Electrical Panel, Steel Floor Grate, Pipe Assembly #1, Steel Door

From the Upper Level of HPN

Chimney Door, Pipe Assembly #2, Red Duct Work Section, Vertical Steel Door and Square Door, Rusted Manifold

From the West Exterior Entrance of ENAD

Decorative Grate and Stone Surround

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Figure 6.42 Loading concrete and masonry debris.

Figure 6.43 Beginning the deep excavation.

Figure 6.44 Equipment for soil nailing the retaining wall.

standing water. National Wrecking did not use this type of final site preparation because the WALC construction—which required the completion of an even larger excavation than the old Power Plant basement—was to begin immediately after completion of the demolition process. Considering the complete design and bid documents for the WALC were not yet available when demolition began, the demolition contractor was contracted to complete the full excavation in preparation for the new building.

Figure 6.45 Truck ramp for soil excavation.

Figure 6.46 Final site preparation.

The excavation needed for the new building was both large and deep, with boundaries close to nearby buried utilities, buildings, roads, and walkways (see Figure 6.43). Because of these site space limitations, the soil at the perimeter of the excavation could not be sloped. To support the surrounding soil and facilities close by, a retaining wall was built and tied back to the surrounding soil using a technique called soil nailing (see Figure 6.44). Soil nails are slender, steel bars that are drilled at a slight downward slope in regularly spaced locations

through the retaining wall into the soil, grouted in place, and tied to the wall with anchor heads. After the retaining wall was completed and secured to the surrounding soil with soil nails, the retaining wall was backfilled and a final ramp was created to allow access into the excavation (see Figure 6.45). At this point, after nine months of demolition and preconstruction activity, the site was ready to be turned over to the WALC contractor (see Figure 6.46). 110

Notes 1. The Purdue Engineering Computer Network captured the demolition of HPN and ENAD and the subsequent construction of the WALC via time-lapse photography. Visit https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECN/WebCam to view these events.

ESSAY 7 THE ARCHITECTURAL VISION: THOMAS S. AND HARVEY D. WILMETH ACTIVE LEARNING CENTER DESIGN OVERVIEW

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BSA LifeStructures RATIO

Editor’s Note: The names old Power Plant or original Power Plant are used in this essay in reference to the 1924 structure. All images in this essay are courtesy of BSA LifeStructures or RATIO unless otherwise stated.

Goals and Objectives The goal of the Wilmeth Active Learning Center is to seamlessly integrate the best attributes of the classroom and library into one facility, creating a new environment that is richer, more efficient, and more effective than either could be on its own. –Dean James L. Mullins

Occupying a key site near the center of Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus, the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) was envisioned as a new type of environment in higher education. In addition to creating the core campus engineering and science library, the WALC supports the Purdue Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT) program as well as active learning throughout the University. The goal of active learning is to “flip the course”—lectures are shared outside of class while collaboration and team-based work is a focus within the classroom. Students learn from each other, and the faculty member serves as a “guide on the side.” The WALC serves as a central meeting place and gathering spot outside normal class hours by providing numerous informal study and teaming zones, including a café. Most of the classrooms are available after normal hours for active learning or team-based study.

The project plays a key role in the advancement of the University’s campus master plan. By filling a prominent, central site that previously held the iconic, old Power Plant, the design solution needed the appropriate mass and form to establish a terminus for campus axes, define quadrangles, and support the movement of people and services. Creating a strong relationship between inside and outside was another point of emphasis. Because of its prominent location, variety of user groups, and transformational mission, the WALC’s architecture had to draw from the historical language of the core campus and enhance the rich design tradition defined by campus precedent.

Program The WALC houses two primary programs: the Engineering and Sciences Library and the active learning classrooms. The Engineering and Sciences Library brings together six disciplinary libraries: Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; Engineering; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Physics. The six campus disciplinary libraries housed approximately 700,000 volumes. In addition to these specific schools and departments, the Engineering and Sciences Library supports the instruction and research of the College of Agriculture, the College of Health and Human Sciences, and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute. Although the library is focused on the engineering and science disciplines, the WALC is open to students of all disciplines 112

to study and collaborate. The Registrar schedules classrooms to meet classes’ active learning instructional needs. To support active learning, the classrooms range from small to large. A specialized theater classroom supports student productions and performances, the very essence of active learning.

Benchmarking Purdue’s core team for this project and the BSA LifeStructures design team began the process of defining this new project by embarking on a benchmarking tour of similar and recent projects. Under the leadership of Dean of Libraries James Mullins, the itinerary included libraries and learning centers at North Carolina State University, Duke University, University of Georgia, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

A Brief Overview James B. Hunt Jr. Library, North Carolina State University The James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University (NC State) is a dynamic modern form at the edge of the rolling campus. At the building’s center is an automated book retrieval system. A spiral of seating, reading, and teaming spaces wrap the inner core with views to the countryside. A great variety of seating is utilized—some rather exploratory in nature—with many quiet, tucked-away nooks. The library is well-known for

being extremely invested in technology and visualization tools, like virtual studios and advanced computer labs. A small café is located near the west entrance. A large auditorium and a flexible convention room allow the facility to host a variety of programs and conferences. Applied attributes: •

Mix of classrooms

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Formal and informal study spaces

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Reduced footprint of browseable collections

The Link: Teaching and Learning Center, Duke University The Link at Duke University Perkins Library, a renovation of a lower library level, includes a range of small- to medium-sized classrooms interspersed among informal library study space and computer commons. The spaces utilize flexible furniture for teaming and active learning or seminars. The Link’s central information point serves as a hub with a significant technology display. The spaces are substantially wrapped in glass with varying degrees of transparency. Overall, the project consists of a mix of dynamic and active space and is modest in scale. Applied attribute: •

Very fluid use of classrooms migrating to study space throughout the course of the day.

Zell B. Miller Learning Center, University of Georgia The Zell B. Miller Learning Center at the University of Georgia is a combination of library and instruction space and includes classrooms, advanced learning labs, group study rooms, faculty preparation, and library. Spaces include a large amount of open reading, seating and small breakout areas, and teaming rooms. The space containing a secure reference collection is also in demand as an event space. The classrooms are segregated from library spaces on separate levels, making those corridors more about circulations than informal study— efficient, but not the desired dynamic relationship with study space intended for the WALC. Located in the core of the campus, this large facility serves to connect multiple campus zones and can be entered at different levels. It is rendered in the traditional Georgian architectural language of the campus core. Applied attribute: •

quadrangle and leads to multiple learning, laboratory, and library functions. An active café/coffee shop sits at the entry, and the building is dynamic and full of students and faculty en route to their campus engagements. Modular labs and smaller classrooms are located on upper levels, and large seminar rooms are located on the lower level. This one facility brings together all undergraduate support services, including the Center for Academic Success, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, and the Technology Support Center. Connections to the library lead to a tiered information commons (one of the first in the nation) that is heavily used, densely packed, and filled with north light. The modern design is eclectic in form and marked by sustainable features. Applied attributes: •

Mix of classrooms, formal and informal study spaces

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Heavily used central circulation spine that allows for successful adjacent reading and study areas

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Strong use of steel, glass, and concrete that imparts a dynamic industrial feel (wellreceived in an engineering university)

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Order produced by main atrium’s dynamic Piranesian staircases and bridges daylit from a grand clerestory

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Strong relationship to campus planning both in terms of pedestrian traffic and in defining the campus quadrangle

Very contextual architectural expression

G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, Georgia Institute of Technology Situated in the heart of an urban campus, the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is anchored by a circulation spine or “internal street” that fronts a large central

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Campus/Site The Office of Physical and Capital Planning at Purdue University authored “Architecture on Campus,” documenting the variety of building forms and styles on campus and providing guidance for future work based on the location and function. The publication identifies the WALC site, which falls within the Traditional Campus, as an “iconic site” due to its position as a terminus of primary axes, its role as an edge to quadrangles to the east and west, and its central location due east of the Purdue Bell Tower.1 The University defines the following design standards for buildings within the core campus: 1. Scale and massing of new structures should be consistent with existing buildings. 2. Buildings should be clad primarily in brick, with limestone trim and accents. Limestone should be well integrated into the facades.

Figure 7.1 Most academic buildings surrounding the Engineering Mall are built with redbrick and red tile roofs. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center.

3. Where feasible, the trademark red tile perimeter roof should be considered on new construction (see Figure 7.1).

7. Some recession in the building facade is a positive feature. This can be accomplished as an expression of the building structure.

4. Limestone trim should also be used to articulate building entry points.

8. Windows should, for the most part, be accomplished with “punched” openings.

5. Building elevations should exhibit a graceful balance of horizontal and vertical elements.

9. Fenestration should show logic and balance.

6. It can be advantageous to delineate the facade like a classic column, into a base, a body, and a capital.

10. Frame and glass selection should allow windows to “lighten” the exterior and interior of the building. In practice, this means window frames should be light in color and should 114

include adequate muntins to contribute to the overall texture of the building facade.2 At the request of Dean Mullins, before demolition of the old Power Plant (see Figure 7.2), the design team documented elements to salvage and the University provided additional photographic documentation. The team’s intent was to integrate significant historic elements and draw upon the Power Plant’s industrial aesthetic as inspiration for the new building design. This connection to the history of the site was a common theme throughout the process (see Figure 7.3).

Figure 7.2 The old Power Plant exhibited the typical style of academic buildings constructed in this area of campus—redbrick and limestone trim. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

Process/Exploration During demolition, the design process began with studies that explored the possibilities and limitations of the site. Existing campus pathways for people and service vehicles were mapped and discussed, and logical entry points were identified. The dense network of underground utilities was examined. Through this process, it was determined that most of the site was needed to support the desired building program (see Figure 7.4).

Figure 7.3 Elements such as natural light from large windows were to be integrated into the WALC’s design. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

The building massing was studied as three stories with a lower level. Over time, the importance of the lower level space grew, allowing more flexibility in form above ground and providing relief and interest to the primary elevations (see Figure 7.5). Throughout this phase of the project, multiple planning diagrams were presented for group discussion, leading to lively debate regarding the pros and cons of each. Some of the preliminary schemes included:

Figure 7.4 The site plan shows the areas of access leading to the WALC.

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Figure 7.5 The massing was studied to determine the best use of space.

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Arcade: Organizing the building around a major north/south pedestrian spine (see Figure 7.6).

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Atria: Working to the bounds of the site perimeter and carving a central atrium as an organizing element and as a light source into the center of the complex (see Figure 7.8).

Ultimately, the design gravitated toward the clarity of the atria scheme—it supports wayfinding and organizes the variety of spaces and functions within the plan, and its footprint has the ability to flex along the exterior envelope, adding strength and hierarchy to the architecture (see Figures 7.9–7.14).

Site Response/Connections

Figure 7.6 An early sketch of a possible layout with a major north/south pedestrian spine.

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Figure 7.8 A central atrium acts as a light source to the WALC’s center.

The building supports the evolution of the campus master plan in a number of ways. The WALC responds to and informs two major campus green spaces: the Bell Tower Quadrangle and the A. A. Potter Engineering Center Quadrangle (see Figure 7.15). A new north/south mall along the building’s

Bevel: Pulling the building mass north and softening the southwest corner to ease the flow of people into the Bell Tower paths (see Figure 7.7).

Figure 7.7 A softened southwest corner allows for better pedestrian flow near the Bell Tower.

Figures 7.9–7.14 Later sketches show the design of the WALC specified to an “atria scheme.”

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Figure 7.15 A sketch of the external design shows the WALC in relation to the Bell Tower and surrounding buildings.

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Figure 7.17 The WALC will stand three stories high. In this rendering, the stunning height of the Reading Room windows is apparent.

Figure 7.18 A rendering of the WALC’s east face exhibits the academic building style of redbrick and limestone trim.

Figure 7.16 An aerial rendering shows the WALC among campus structures as well as the possible pedestrian walkways leading to the building. Additionally, the large windows to the Reading Room are visible on the west face.

west face strengthens this primary campus circulation path. The Potter Quadrangle is totally reimagined to open pedestrian flow and to connect to new and existing buildings. With the extended landscape designed in conjunction with the building, the impact of this project on Purdue’s campus will be far greater than it would have been to design the building alone,

strengthening the sense of place of the core campus. There will be a seamless connection between the inside and outside. The building does not have a back side. Four primary entries are split and located at the west and east to encourage the smooth flow of students and faculty—thousands over the course of a typical day. 118

The celebrated west face of the building defines and speaks to the Bell Tower Quadrangle, working to strengthen this primary central campus space (see Figures 7.16 and 7.17). It connects on this side to a renovated and expanded north/south mall that flows into a primary open study zone at the front door; this area allows students to be engaged in the activity along this major pedestrian streetscape. The east side of the building faces the renovated Potter Quadrangle. This connection is activated by a café at the corner that will be a hub of activity with ample outdoor seating (see Figure 7.18).

The north face forms a narrow path that serves as a connection into the Bell Tower Quadrangle. The spacing is close to neighboring academic buildings. Support functions are tucked along the south face behind a projecting bay that houses specialized functions. Service and University vehicles typically will be limited to this secure zone.

Movement The facility must support the flow of thousands of students and faculty in and out of the building each day. The building is approached from all directions, so clarity of movement is essential. The solution utilizes the atrium as the center square and wraps it in a grid of streets. Two major circulation paths run east/west, passing by the atrium and leading to the entries. Secondary streets run north/south along or parallel to the atrium. The simple concept diagram for a large building supports the smooth movement of large groups and lessens confusion. In the WALC, an open monumental stair connects all levels via the atrium (see Figure 7.19).

Organization/ Classrooms/Library The open atrium creates visual connections not only horizontally across floors, but also vertically between floors, an important feature considering the library and classroom programs are distributed and interwoven across multiple levels (see Figures 7.20–7.24).

Figure 7.19 The open staircase, center, is accessible to all levels of the atrium.

First Floor A major study zone is located along the west arcade looking out to the Bell Tower Quadrangle and north/south mall. Open study is also located along the north face and at the southeast café that connects to the Potter Quadrangle (see Figures 7.25– 7.28). Large 120- and 180-person active learning classrooms are located middle and north face of the plan (see Figure 7.29). A main information desk is at the north end of the atrium. The large theater classroom is at the southwest corner and is expressed on the outside with its projecting bay. 119

Core service functions are grouped along the south side of the plan. A service desk staffed all hours the WALC is open provides support through Libraries and Information Technology Department staff.

Second Floor Two major library functions live on this level: the two-story Reading Room and, across the atrium, the main secure print collection zone housing the approximately 30,000 volumes. They are surrounded by library services and medium-sized active learning classrooms (see Figures 7.30–7.32).

Figure 7.20 The many areas of the WALC provide space for work and study in various manners.

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FIRST FLOOR

SECOND FLOOR

LOWER FLOOR THIRD FLOOR Figures 7.21–7.24 The area use of each level is visible on color floor plans.

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Figures 7.25–7.28 The WALC provides study and work spaces to meet students’ needs.

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Figures 7.29 Active learning classrooms may feature the traditional instructor podium at the front of class, but will have collaborative student spaces.

Figures 7.30–7.32 Interior renderings of the second floor display the tall ceilings, natural light, and warmth in the Reading Room.

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Figures 7.33–7.35 Whether students require private study or classroom space, renderings of the third floor exhibit the many options available for students in the WALC.

Third Floor This floor contains small- and medium-sized active learning classrooms, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) suite and Maker Space, and library staff offices. Multiple team and group spaces are housed in a bridge that spans north/south and overlooks the atrium and Reading Room as well as areas adjacent to the classrooms (see Figures 7.33–7.35).

Lower Level This floor houses medium and large active learning classrooms and a collaboration zone. Service functions include media support and building support.

Framework/Volume Adding to the complexity of the design challenge, the space program called for a great variety of space sizes, each having specific needs that drive plan dimensions and volume. The largest active learning classrooms

are placed on the first floor to group spaces that have similar height requirements; for example, many of the larger rooms require a 15-foot clearance in order to accommodate screens and marker boards that do not conflict with one another. This drove a first-tosecond-floor distance of 22 feet—a considerable height. This tall first floor creates a sense of openness on the inside and adds to the strength of the building base as seen from the exterior. To frame such large spaces and draw from the site’s industrial past, a mix of concrete and steel structure was used on the project. The structure is primarily poured-in-place concrete, and columns are left with an exposed finish. The five bays of the atrium are ringed with substantial round concrete columns that add nobility and ceremony to the building core. Structural steel is utilized to frame the Reading Room with exposed roof trusses. The third floor bridge is a steel box truss that spans the length of the Reading Room—reminiscent of long-span railroad bridges. 124

Light/View The building has large sections of glass marking the two-story Reading Room and looking to the Bell Tower. This connection is a key link between the building program and the center of campus. Generous windows on all sides provide natural light to the interior, views to campus, and enliven the building facade. To light the center of the building, a clerestory rings the upper atrium.

Architectural Language/Spirit The WALC draws from the site’s past with its concrete and steel structural frame and by incorporating a number of elements salvaged from the original Power Plant. Physical items such as a coal cart, grating, and exhaust manifolds will be placed throughout the project, and photographs and renderings will be incorporated into public spaces as murals and artifacts.

The building celebrates engineering with the exposed framing of the bridge and the trusses within the Reading Room. Lastly, the project reimagines the center of Purdue’s campus, replacing a service building that was impenetrable with a facility that is open and accessible, invites exploration, and fosters connections. While paying homage to the past, the WALC is also the home to a striking new model of integrated library and classrooms. The building is a model for both the present and the future, serving current functions and adaptable to support the continued evolution of learning and teaching at Purdue University.

Beyond Tradition Dean Mullins challenged the design team to look beyond the static classroom buildings and traditional libraries that have populated American campuses since President Thomas Jefferson. At a time in contemporary higher education where classrooms are becoming active, flexible laboratories, and libraries are setting aside their vast collections in favor of technology-rich study and collaboration spaces, the dean’s vision was to blend these two evolving archetypes into something new. The architects’ puzzle was to design a campus building that did not stay static, a place that would adapt to the rhythms of the students’ lives—active and structured learning spaces by day and an informal, secure place of study, collaboration, and creation by night.

There were few models to point to and few precedents to build upon. As late-twentieth-century technologies were permeating higher education, early innovators implemented the concept of the Information Commons, a hub in the library where access to technology and research services were blended. One such example was the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons at Georgia Tech. As collection-based research gave way to more digital resources and mobile access, collection use began trending downward. Large library systems increasingly looked to more efficient storage options for the physical collections that were still important to retain. High-density storage, remote high-bay storage, shared depositions, and robotic retrieval systems shifted the balance of space from the browseable warehousing model to spaces where a variety of study activities take place. Technology centers, student success centers, faculty development labs, cafés, and collaboration rooms were infilling spaces previously used to house books and other physical media. Through the first two decades of this century, renovations and repurposing of existing library space has become commonplace as many existing facilities have ample space merely in need of reuse. Already, university libraries were sited in important central positions of the campus, making them ideal destinations for social, classroom, and study spaces. With the large amount of library space populating our campuses, it has become uncommon that architects are commissioned to design a new ground-up facility of prominent size (notable recent exceptions include the Hunt Library at NC 125

State and the Pew Library at Grand Valley State University. Both utilized large robotic retrieval systems to effectively reduce the size and cost of collection storage while placing greater emphasis on study and technology spaces). For the WALC, a new facility was essential as the School of Engineering sought to combine several smaller departmental libraries into a single structure. More impactful was the vision to allocate 60 percent of the building to classroom space. This presented another unique challenge to the design team: What is the architectural expression of a building operating both as classroom space and library? Classroom buildings are generally very utilitarian while, traditionally, the great academic libraries are places of inspiration and beautiful, cathedral-like reading rooms. Classroom buildings are open and porous, while libraries, despite their democratic nature, require a variety of methods to secure the collections from theft. The WALC accommodates both these architectural functions and architectural expressions. The generation coming of university age wants flexible study spaces, access to the latest technologies, and very social learning environments. But they want the tradition too—the campus academic experience that great architecture and spaces uniquely offer. Once chosen over an online educational option, the competitive campus experience is expected to be exceptional, authentic, and anchored with a sense of place. For the WALC, in contrast to the technology-rich, agile teaching spaces, this meant creating signature areas where students can experience the feel and

ambience of the traditional library: the Reading Room and the Quiet Study and Collection Room, which anchor the second floor. The Reading Room, with its rich woods, two-story windows, and traditional library tables, will be the soul of the building, providing the identifiable, classical architectural elements that create a memorable experience. The Quiet Study and Collection Room will let students choose a more intimate environment surrounded by a secured core book collection.

The cherished experience of burrowing into the seclusion of the stacks, with its cozy atmosphere, familiar scents, and warm, soft lighting, is retained for this and future generations as an essential part of the college experience.

Notes 1. Office of Physical and Capital Planning, Purdue University, Architecture on Campus (West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University, 2012), 15. 2. Ibid., 8–15.

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Bibliography Office of Physical and Capital Planning, Purdue University. Architecture on Campus. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University, 2012.

EPILOGUE As editor, it is my hope that you have enjoyed A Purdue Icon. This has been a work of pure joy for those of us who have contributed to this book. It is not often that we celebrate a piece of history that was as tangible and symbolic as the old Power Plant through the scholarship and research of Purdue faculty, staff, and students. The essays explored the need, construction, operation, retirement, and demolition of the old Power Plant in vivid detail. The intent of this book is to bring to your attention the myriad of perspectives, insights, and memories that the old Power Plant generated among us, even at its demise. Detailing the history, role, and phases of life of the old Power Plant causes me to reflect upon the sojourn of my own life. When I was born in 1949, the structure was already in its twenty-fourth year, and through additions, it more or less matured to its full potential by the early 1940s. By the time I reached my own maturity in the 1970s, the old Power Plant was already being phased out as the new Heating and Power Plant–South (now Walter W. Wade Utility Plant) was coming online and reducing the University’s dependence on the old Power Plant. As the old Power Plant reached the age of sixty-five in 1990, it was being phased out, or retired. Symbolic of this retirement was the note written on one of the boilers, “We will definitely miss you North Plant” (see Figure 8.1).

Figure 8.1 Note left on one of the boilers in the old Power Plant. Image courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons.

The distribution network of power and energy, the life support of the campus, still emanated from the old Power Plant until the early 2000s when that last vestige of its former role was eliminated. In retirement, it sat with little maintenance, a shadow of its former self. Its major identifying feature, the smokestack, was gone. Similar to how beauty fades from us all, a building that at one time was heralded as magnificent was rapidly becoming an eyesore. It was only as it approached its ninetieth year that it finally met its end.

the place where the old Power Plant sat for so many years creating power and energy for the work of the University. To capture the old Power Plant and its significance, artifacts were chosen that reflected its role, including such items as a generator, pump, valves, gauges, stack doors, and the ash cart. These items have been integrated into and are on display in the WALC, along with graphics that highlight the work and active learning that took place on the site while it hosted a power plant. An audio tour will tell the story of the old Power Plant now and for generations to come.

In addition, for those who see the cycle of life in the surroundings, the Bell Tower came to dominate the landscape on campus just as the smokestack had before. The Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) now occupies

The WALC will allow for creativity and learning for the many Boilermakers who will find it inviting and central to their time at Purdue, much as the old Power Plant and its smokestack symbolized the vitality and life that is Purdue.

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IN APPRECIATION In order for a project as large as the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center to materialize, it required financial commitment and support from a variety of sources. The Indiana General Assembly allocated $50 million, in cash, toward the estimated cost of $79 million. Purdue University committed $13 million toward the cost of demolishing the old Power Plant/ENAD and preparation of the site to be ready for construction. Donors and friends of the Libraries and University completed the total funding with $16 million; this was accomplished by May 2015. The family of Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth came forward as lead donors with a gift of $8 million to acknowledge the contribution that Purdue University had on the lives of the brothers, which

(Left) Thomas S. Wilmeth (1913–2015) and (right) Harvey D. Wilmeth (1918–2007) as pictured in the 1935 and 1940 Debris yearbooks, respectively.

enabled them to be successful businessmen with the founding and continued growth of Scot Industries. To quote Thomas Wilmeth, “The essence of education is developing the ability to train and teach oneself to learn.” Lilly Endowment Inc. made a $5 million grant in support of the Library of Engineering and Science within the WALC. Larry and Janet Hiler, longtime supporters of the Purdue University Libraries, made a gift of $1 million to fund the dynamic and creative experience that will take place in the Hiler Theater on the main floor of the WALC. Without the support of all of the donors below, the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center would not have materialized. Thank you!

Larry and Janet Hiler, donors for the Hiler Theater.

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Donors Donors $1,000 and above as of May 2017 Sally Symmes Abbott Robert J. and Mary E. Abel Anthony and Cynthia Alfonso Donald and Sheila Ansley Peter and Nancy Ayers Roderick Baker and Moira Corcoran William M. Baker Shawn Batey and Tiffiny Nicole Vaccaro Jerome and Diana Bean Marianne Billeter Robert and Denise Ceryak Boehnlein Robert and Judy Brady Jeff and Beth Bredeson Robert and Christina Brewer Roy and Benita Bridges Sharon Keller Brown Timothy and Erica Burkhart Anne K. Burnett Jack M. Champaigne D. Joe and Claudia D. Clarkson Class of 1966 Sig and Patricia Cornelius Claire, Katie, Christy and Mark Craig Michelle D’Arcy and Joseph Donohue Joann Data and Herman Cantrell Robert and Janice Davidson Timothy and Cheri DeBruicker Susan Hodges DeNuccio and the estate of Paul DeNuccio Stephen and Jennifer Diagostino Dennis J. and Leslie A. Drag

Kelly D. Englehart Lina Fiedler Timothy J. and Susan Dorn Fowler Gary A. and Tamera Smith Fox Jon and Catherine Fraley Christian and Marita Garcia Pris Gerde Edward and Erin Gerken Barry and Joanne Caudell Gibson Gary and Susan Glazer Bobbie Banaszak Gleiter and John Gleiter Larry and Helen Gruber Mark and Nancy Gruninger Donn and Barbara Hancher Barbara A. Hansen James R. and Judith Tondi Herd Edward D. and Sherry M. Herringshaw William and Emily Heston Nancy S. Hewison and Robert J. Joly John and Jane Higgins Lawrence E. and Janet M. Hiler John and Christine Hostetler Herman and Connie Houin R. Neal Houze and Cyndy Clauss Joseph and Sandra Howarth Mark and Mary Humenik Michael S. Humnicky Ann and Leon John Hutton Ganeshkumar and Nalini Iyer The Jennings Family Richard and Frances Johnson Robert J. Kinnier David and Victoria Klassen

Ray and Diane Klassen Donald and Linda Kraft Mark and Denise Langhenry Steve and Susanne Leininger Lilly Endowment Inc. Justin C. Lin John Martin and Patricia Geist-Martin Patricia J. Paschen Martin Joy M. Matson The Mauk Family Raymond and Patricia Mayer Ward and Lou McClelland Thomas and Mary McKane Scott and Barbara McLaughlin Beth McNeil and Wes Welch Charles and Carol Miller Dennis and Barbara Mishler Robert and Margaret “Peggy” Morris William and Constance Morrow Karen Moschetto and Janice Raspen Anthony G. Mucelli James L. and Kathleen S. Mullins Randall and Jeanne Murrill Lambert J. Nejdl Estate Larry Nies David and Gayle Niss Rudy Nix Esther Ellis Norton Endowment David W. Ochiltree Ned A. Ochiltree, Jr. Henry and Karen Orejuela Yousef and Manige Sanei Panahpour Stephen T. Peppler

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Eugene and Geraldine Pergament Garrett and Mary Plepel Marjorie Randolph Grant and Elizabeth Richards  Richard and Rae Roley Nancy E. Russell Thomas and Jane Schmidt Joseph and Nancy Schoendorf W. Bruce Scranage Charlie Shook Edward and Olivia Sigo Laura and Doug Skidmore Robert and Susan Smith Jo and Cliff Swanlund John and Patricia Tancredi Richard and Kyle Thomas Timothy and Dorothe Trick Stephen R.Troyer Katharine Tweedy-Weeder and Kristian Weeder Wagner-Meinert LLC Roy E. Wansik Leon and Marysue Wechsler Terrence and Mary Weisshaar Andrew and Elizabeth Whittaker John and Janice Wilkins Harvey D. Wilmeth Thomas S. Wilmeth The Wilmeth Family Robert and Joyce Witte Patrick and Leslie Wood Gary and Rachel Yingling Bob and Marcy Ziek Michael and Heather Simmering Zientek

INDEX Ade, George, 13, 29, 30 African American students, 3 Agricultural Engineering Building, 29 “Architectural Vision: Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center Design Overview, The,” xiv, 111–126 Architecture Through the Ages, 34 Arnett, Joe, 61, 66–68, 69

Legacy through artifacts and photographs of the old Power Plant/ENAD within the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center Artifacts were chosen from the old Power Plant/ENAD to tell a story. Photographers were invited into the old Power Plant/ENAD before its demolition to capture perspectives that would be lost once demolition was completed. To help tell the story, photographs have been mounted around the Wilmeth Active Learning Center that convey the active learning that took place on the site, long before “active learning” was given its name. On the following pages are examples of the artifacts and photographic murals installed in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center. Narrative panels beside each of the artifacts or murals help explain what is on display or shown, while challenging readers to use their imagination to create their own story using the artifacts or images, and therefore, become an active learner. What is shown on these next several pages is only a sampling of what is available in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.

Bailey, J. B., 41 Beering Hall of Liberal Arts, 82 Bell Tower, 18, 53–54, 80, 118–119, 124, 127 Berg, Truanne, 52 Boiler and Gas House, 8, 11, 12, 19, 29 Boiler STEAM Commons, 88 Bross, Kristina, xiii, 37 BSA LifeStructures, xiv, 91, 111 See also Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Buchanan, James, 2 Building of a Red Brick Campus: The Growth of Purdue as Recalled by Walter Scholer, The, 25–26 Burns, Kenny, 66 Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE), 85 Charles L. Pillsbury Company, 38 Civil War, the, 2, 3 Clingenpeel, Jeff, 49 Collection Room, WALC, 126 Concept of Mind, 47 Copshaholm mansion, 5

The five Art Deco panels that graced the transom above the doors entering ENAD have been installed at the service desk of the Library of Engineering and Science. The panels reflect the five engineering schools that existed in the late 1930s. Image courtesy of James L. Mullins.

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Córdova, France, 83 Cornell University, 2 Curtis, Susan, xiii, 37 Daggett, Robert Frost, 24, 28 Daggett, Robert Frost, Jr., 24 Daggett, Robert Platt, 24, 28 Dagnese, Joseph M., 75–77 David C. Pfendler Hall of Agriculture, 24 David E. Ross Building, 25, 28 Debris, 39, 41 on changing mores at Purdue, 43

Graduation Game, 50 “I’m Satisfied,” 43, 44 on Purdue’s post-war plan, 46 regular appearance of the smokestack in, 45–52 on the removal of the smokestack, 52 on Tarkington Hall, 49 on video games, 51 on the Vietnam War, 47–48 Demolition of HPN and ENAD, 96–110 ACM debris from, 98, 105 dealing with hazardous materials, dust, and noise from, 97–99

initial, 97 maintaining of safe worksite during, 105–106 material handling as major component of, 108 predemolition activities, 94–95 preparing for new construction after, 108–110 site coordination impact on planning of, 100 site preparations, 97 wrecking process, 100–104 Diaz, Al, 87 Douglas, Ann, 38 Douglas Aircraft, 48

Students, professor, and Power Plant staff in an “active learning” class. Images courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

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Old Power Plant smokestack

Since Tom and Harvey Wilmeth were students at Purdue in the 1930s, it was decided that it would be appropriate to highlight the Purdue as they knew it. The aerial view of the campus in 1934 as well as several pictures of students in the old Power Plant come from that decade. Images courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Duke University, The Link: Teaching and Learning Center, 113 Ecotone, 89 Edison, Thomas, 4 Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music, 45 Einstein, Albert, 38–39 Electrical Engineering Building, 27, 40, 41 Electric Holding Company of America, 5 Electricity domestic electric appliances and, 6 and electrical devices creating a new environment, 5–6

electric lights and, 5 growing needs for, 3–5 Electrifying America: Social Meanings of a New Technology, 1880-1940, 3–4 Elliott, Edward C., 30, 38, 40 ENAD. See Engineering Administration Building (ENAD) “End of an Era: The Razing of the Old Power Plant and ENAD, The,” xiv, 93–110 Engineering Administration Building (ENAD), xii, xiii, xiv, 18–19, 29, 80, 87–88 demolition of (See Demolition of HPN and ENAD) 133

See also Heating and Power Plant-North (HPN) Entomology Hall, 24 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 98 Exponent, The, xii, 39 Fechheimer, C. J., 43 “Following a National Example: Purdue’s Transition to the Mechanical and Industrial Age,” xiii, 1–22 Foster, Nancy Fried, 87 Frankling Levering Cary Quadrangle, 26, 27, 28 Freeman, Verne, 25

role of demolition contractor as prelude to progress and, 94 significance in growth of Purdue, 60 See also Engineering Administration Building (ENAD); 1925 Power Plant “Heating and Power Plant-North: Home of the ‘Boilermakers’”, xiii, 59–70 Heating and Power Plant-South (HPS), xii, 17–18, 127 See also Walter W. Wade Utility Plant Heavilon Hall, 8–9, 11, 18, 45, 52 Hefner, Hugh, 48 Hepburn, William M., 72, 73 Hicks, John W., 76, 77, 79 Hiler, Larry, 89 Hirschl, Harry, 68–69 Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, 17

The ash/soot cart traversed the old Power Plant under the boilers for nearly 90 years. It now sits in a prominent location in the WALC to remind visitors that without the work of the many individuals who kept the boilers fired up, which powered the turbines that generated heat and power, the instruction and research that made Purdue famous would not have been possible. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

General Electric, 4 Georgia Institute of Technology, G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons, 113 Gibbs, W. I., 42 Ginsberg, Alan, 47 Gothic Revival architecture, 24, 26 Grand Reading Room, WALC, 118, 119, 123, 124–126 Hamlin, Talbot, 34

Harding, Warren, 6 Hatke, Eugene R., xiii, 23 Heating and Power Plant-North (HPN), xii, 17– 18, 19, 29, 54, 69–70 construction of, 60 contribution to educational mission of Purdue, 61 Harry Hirschl on, 68–69 Joe Arnett and Harold Lambirth Sr. on, 66–68 Marty Nelson on, 61–65 operations process, 64–65 134

Indiana and the Land-Grant Act, 3 Indiana University, 72 Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP), 85 Iowa State University, 2 Jerry S. Rawls Hall, 83 John W. Hicks Undergraduate Library, 49, 76, 78–79, 86, 87 Karnes, Virginia Kelly, 83 KDVA radio, 6 King, G. C., 40 Krannert Graduate School of Management, 83 Lafayette Journal and Courier, 40, 42 Lafayette Street Railway, Inc., 40 Lambirth, Harold, 65, 66–68, 69 LaSalle Hotel, 25

Learn Lab, 84 Libraries, Purdue active learning classroom space provided by, 86–87 challenges for consolidation of the, 81–84 early main, 10 establishing the role of, 72–79 innovative integration of library/classroom space study, 87–88 link between active learning and, 84–86 old Power Plant as potential location of, 80–81 project challenges and fund-raising for, 88–89

Wall graphic in the WALC, with the view looking up from the base of the smokestack. The light near the top is an open “check” door to test particulate rising in the stack. This was introduced at Purdue, the first in the nation. Images courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

See also Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Lilly Building for Life Sciences, 75 Lilly Endowment, 89 Lincoln, Abraham, 2, 3 Long Center, 28 Lynd, Helen Merrell, 4 Lynd, Robert S., 4 Maker Spaces, 60 Marshall, Harry S., 43 Mars Theater, 25

Mason, Sally, 80 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2 Matthews Hall, 28 Mayer, George H., 42 McIvor, Harry E., 12 McLaughlin, Bridget, 51, 52 Mechanical Engineering Building, 27 Meyer, H. J., 38 Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture, 4 Mobley, Emily, 77, 79 Modernity in West Lafayette and at Purdue, 38–40 Moriarty, John H., 75

Morrill, Justin, 2 Morrill Act of 1862, 2, 3 Indiana’s response to, 3 Morrill Act of 1890, 3 Mullins, James L., xiii, 5, 71, 79, 112, 125, 127 National Municipal Review, 40 National Wrecking Company, 96, 99, 100 Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, 19 Nelson, Marty, 61–65, 69 Nicol, Scholer, and Hoffman firm, 25–26, 28, 30, 31 1904 Power Plant, 11–12, 29–30 demolition of, 41 1925 Power Plant, 12–17, 19, 25, 29, 31 buildings of, xii, 127 design, xii–xiii, 31–35, 38 new facilities enabled by, 43 as potential site for new library, 80–81 Purdue approval to build, 40 Purdue Smokestack and, 33, 34–35, 44–54 See also Heating and Power Plant-North (HPN) Nixon, Richard, 47 North Carolina State University, James B. Hunt Jr. Library, 112–113 Northern Indian Gas and Electric Company, 42 Nye, David R., 3–5

Images courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 99 Old Power Plant. See 1925 Power Plant Oliver, James D., 5 Oliver Chilled Plow Works, 5 Orton Crane and Shovel Company, 66 O’Sullivan, Luke, 47 Parrish, Lynn, xiii, 59 136

Parrish, Roland G., 83 Parrish Library, 83, 84 “Phoenix from the Coal Ashes: Creating an Active Learning Center from the Old Power Plant, A,” xiii, 71–92 Physics Building, 27 Pond and Pond, 28 Potter, Andrey A., 77 Potter Engineering Center, 75, 77, 81 Potter Quadrangle, 118, 119 Power Plant Engineering, 12, 15, 17 Premier Electric Company, 42 Purdue, John, 3, 47, 83 Purdue Academic Course Transformation (IMPACT), 84–87, 112 Purdue Engineer, 48 Purdue Fire Department, 107 Purdue Mall, 26, 31 Purdue Memorial Union, 26, 27, 28, 53 Purdue Pete, 60 Purdue Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, 28 Purdue University answer to the growing need for power and an expanding campus, 8–12 Bell Tower, 18, 53–54, 80, 118–119, 127 constructing the 1925 Power Plant at, 12–17, 31–35 continuous improvement in facilities, 19–20 early architecture, 29–30 envisioned as agent of modern technology, 39 establishing the role of libraries at, 72–79 founding of, 2–3 growing need for electrical power, 3 heating and power plant design, 31–35 increasing need for power on campus, 12, 30 John Purdue and, 3 map from 1898, 9

Purdue University (continued) map from 1921, 13 Memorial Union, 26, 27, 28, 53 modernity at, 38–40 1904 Power Plant, 11–12, 29–30 1925 Power Plant, 12–17, 19, 25, 29, 31 Purdue Pete and spirit of, 60 range of architecture styles at, 24 WBAA broadcasting from, 6, 7, 41, 42 See also Libraries, Purdue; Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Quiet Study, WALC, 126 Rabe, David, 47 RATIO, xiv, 111 See also Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Reisner, Horace G., 44 Renaissance architecture, 33 Rhodes, Jeffrey A., xiii, 23 Richard Benbridge Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry, 74 Riley Memorial Hospital, 40 Robert Daggett and Sons, 24, 26, 28 Roman architecture, 34 Ross, David, 13 Ross-Ade Stadium, 16 Ryle, Gilbert, 47 Sands, Tim, 84, 87 Scholer, Walter, 25, 26, 28–29 Schweiwe, Julie, 51 Scientific American, 48 “Setting the Stage: A Pivotal Time for Planning and Design at Purdue,” xiii, 23–35 Shaurette, Mark, xiv, 93

The Information Desk in the WALC was constructed using brick saved during the demolition of the old Power Plant. The diameter of the Information Desk is nearly the same as that of the iconic smokestack, and it is located approximately 40 feet north of where the smokestack originally stood. Image courtesy of Teresa M. Brown.

Siegesmund Engineering Library, 75, 77, 81 Smart, James H., 8 Smith, Roy, 25 Smokestack, the, xii, 33, 34–35, 44–54 featured in Debris, 45–52 removal of, 52 Southern University, 47 “’Splendidly Designed’ Power Plant: From Symbol of Modernity to Beloved Icon, The,” xiii, 37–54 Stanley Coulter Hall, 17 Stewart Center, 81–82 137

Stone, Winthrop E., 39 Tarkington Hall, 49 Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center. See Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Tunkin, Zane Scott, 47 University Hall, 24, 26, 28 University of Georgia, Zell B. Miller Learning Center, 113

University of Illinois, 2 University of Wisconsin, 2 Victory Bell, 30 Vietnam War, 47–48 Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, 83 WALC. See Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC) Walter W. Wade Utility Plant, xii, 34, 54, 127 See also Heating and Power Plant-South (HPS) Ward L. Lambert Fieldhouse and Gymnasium, 16, 45 WBAA radio, 6, 7, 41, 42 “We are Purdue, What We Make Moves the World Forward,” 60 The steam turbine in its original site in the old Power Plant and its new location in the WALC. The grating on the wall made up the numerous catwalks in the old Power Plant. Images courtesy of Purdue University/Mark Simons (middle) and Teresa M. Brown (right).

Westinghouse Electric Company, 4, 6 West Lafayette, modern improvements in, 39–40 Wilmeth, Harvey, 89 Wilmeth, Thomas, 89 Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), xiii, xiv, 29, 34, 35, 60, 70, 89, 127 architect selection, 91–92 architectural language/spirit, 124–125 BSA LifeStructures benchmarking for, 112–113 campus/site description and standards, 114 design beyond tradition, 125–126 design concept for, 89–91 design overview goals and objectives, 112 framework/volume, 124 light/view, 124 movement in and around, 119

organization/classrooms/library, 119–124 preparing for the design development and demolition, 96 process/exploration in design process for, 115–116 programs housed in, 112 role of demolition contractor as prelude to progress with, 94 site response/connections, 116–119 See also Demolition of HPN and ENAD Windsor Halls, 26, 27, 28 World War II, 18, 27, 75 Wotton, Henry, 34 Youngman, Robert, 53