While strolling around campus recently, I couldn’t help noticing the sorry state of the exterior of the Music Administration Building on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus. Being a graduate of this institution (B.M. 1998, M.M. 2000), it saddens me to see how shabby things are at present on campus. My uncle attended the Northwestern music school in the 1950s, and he’d probably notice little change in this signature building. One can almost see specters of ladies in poodle skirts and men in coats and ties milling about when approaching this building.
This building has a fascinating history, originally serving as the home for the Frances Willard Women’s College in the mid-19th century and eventually merging with Northwestern in 1873. Historic preservation does not seem to be a priority with Northwestern (as evidenced by the photos below), though unfulfilled promises of a new music building have been circulating since I started school here in the early 1990s.
This entrance to the building (on Clark Street just east of Sherman Avenue in Evanston) has traditionally been the point of entry for all music students at Northwestern. Undergraduates have most of their core courses in this facility (theory, aural skills, keyboard skills), and most academic graduate courses are conducted in this building.
One hopes that the crumbing facade isn’t an indicator of the health of the music program!
Here’s a close-up of the base of one of the pillars:
Things get grimmer as I round the corner of the building. These next shots were taken right next to the east entrance which I used for six years during my studies. Honestly, I’ve seen abandoned buildings in better shape than this! I remember tales of rodent problems in MAB when I was in school. Not hard to believe when I take a look at these shots:
As I glanced up, I was startled to see a big hole in the underside of the roof overhang, with a large piece dangling precariously above a walkway which is used by hundreds of students every day.
Here’s a close-up. I can’t help but imagine bats living up there, flying out at dusk for their nightly excursions.
I feel bad that Northwestern can’t seem to keep its facilities up, despite their hefty tuition ($35,229 tuition + $10,776 annual room and board for the 2008-09 school year – totaling $46,005 yearly). This is, after all, my alma mater. I take pride in having gone to Northwestern, and I feel like a got a great education there. But c’mon, this is looking really shabby!
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My wife is currently working on a pre-med program at Northwestern. I had to wonder if the rest of the campus is looking this ragged. After all, tuition is the same for every student, so shouldn’t this equity be reflected in the rest of the university’s colleges?
So I took a walk. Here’s the Kellogg School of Management:
Hey! That building looks great! What gives?
How about the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center?
These buildings look like they’re part of a world-class institution….which they are. Northwestern consistently ranks in the top ten academic institutions in many fields, and it is a leader in research and development. This prestigious status is reflected in the buildings used by students, faculty, alumni, guests, and prospective students. If these buildings scream success, what’s the message we should take from the music buildings on campus?
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They’re apparently making an announcement sometime in January about a new facility to replace all the functions of MAB. Expected completion is 2011.
Keep you eyes open for it.
Yes, I can totally relate to the state of the school of music at Northwestern. I honestly did not plan to come here for the campus itself. I’ve been having some great teaching with DaXun, Peter Lloyd, and Dr. Kjealland, which is really what matters most to me at this point. It’s true that they are going to totally re-vamp the buildings of the school of music. There’s the typical issues like raising money, etc. but hopefully they are going to build on the parking lot just south of Regenstein which will house all the departments from MAB (and hopefully minimize the outside appearance of Regenstein) I don’t know what will happen to the old MAB- perhaps gutted for offices or something.
It’s great to hear that this is in the works and there’s a target date set for it. As you know, the faculty, ensembles, and musical experiences transcend whatever facility they happen to be housed in, and NU is a top-tier school regardless of whether MAB is getting shabby. I can’t wait to see what the new facility looks like, and I hope that NU finds a use for MAB or sells the building to an organization that will maintain it. It’s definitely a piece of Evanston history, and I wouldn’t want to see it demolished!
In the 2005 state of the university speech, president Benin said:
We hope to build a new home for the School of Music, and also create an “arts green” open space that will link the new building and existing fine arts facilities in that area. In doing so, we hope to not only provide vastly improved facilities for the School of Music, but also encourage interdisciplinary activities with other schools. Providing educational offerings that cross disciplinary boundaries has been a hallmark of Northwestern’s education and will continue to be an important goal for us in the future. This new configuration of the southeast area of the Evanston campus would facilitate this effort.
I must be clear about this development, however. The new Music School building and South Campus development, including the expansion of the Norris Student Center, are, at this point, hopes. Very few donor funds have been raised. And, while we are prepared to use some of the royalties from our pharmaceutical product, Lyrica, for these purposes, large sums have to be accumulated. They do not yet exist.
It looks like the paycheck was just cashed though, in the ammount of $700 million:
http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/12/lyrica.html
I too have heard the building should be completed by 2011
I think the condition of Northwestern’s buildings represents the economic status of it’s graduates. I believe they rely heavily on alumni donations, and let’s face it, it’s not easy to become rich in music.
At long last, we will have the new Bienen School of Music. I can’t wait to see the new facilities, and a little jealous of the students who get to use them. It’s OK, we get to use the old school card. “Back in my day, we had to walk a mile in the snow to get from Regenstein to MAB. . .”
I was a graduate student at Northwestern University School of Music in 1960-1961. Even then the building wasn’t anything to be proud of; it was already an ugly “white elephant” in general disrepair. Drafty as the dickens in the winter, as I recall. I’m surprised, after all these years, that the building has not been replaced.