Published: August 27, 2008 12:00 am            

Architecture college settles into new home on Main Street

University of Oklahoma students flooded back to campus this week, attending classes on the North and South Ovals, the Research Campus and -- Main Street?

The building at 555 W. Main St. is the new home of the College of Architecture. Classes started there Monday, and with the exception of a few small challenges, the move from the main campus went off without a hitch.

"We actually have, in some ways, better facilities over here," said Nick Harm, director of the Division of Architecture.

The college moved out of its former home, Gould Hall on the South Oval, so that renovations could be made on the building that was sometimes considered the ugliest building on campus. The renovations and construction are expected to be completed July 31, 2010.

Nearly four dozen faculty and staff moved Aug. 1 into the administrative offices in the Downtown Shopping Center at the former home of Mardel's, 504 W. Main St. Staff also moved the architecture library this summer to space at 500 W. Main St.

Students started classes Monday across the street in the former home of Hobby Lobby and once home of TG--Y Family Center.

Architecture Dean Charles Graham said the move has gone surprisingly well.

Graham was appointed dean this summer, coming from Texas A--M University. He started in Norman Aug. 16. The move was mostly orchestrated before he arrived by Harm, who was interim dean for about the past six months, and the Provost's Office.

"The bigger issue for me has been getting up to speed on the Gould Hall renovation," Graham said.

About 500 students were affected by the move to Main Street, Harm said. They have studio or other classes in the location on Main Street. Large lecture classes are still on the main campus.

Only three of the five divisions in the college moved to the new location: Interior Design, Architecture and Construction Science. The two graduate divisions of Landscape Design and City and Regional Planning stayed in their offices in another building on campus. When Gould Hall re-opens, all five divisions will be housed together.

Graham said he trusts that when the students have adjusted to their new surroundings they will like it better, because the three divisions will be together.

"It wasn't that bad as we expected," third year architecture student Inha Kang said of the move to Main Street. She said the set-up in the new space is very nice.

Unfortunately, Kang said, there is only one bathroom for the whole building, and the third year students have to share one studio with the second and fourth year students.

A big part of her dread of the change to Main Street was the fear that it would be difficult to have classes both on the main campus and at the Main Street location. But she said it's turned out fine. She has a three-hour break between the classes at different locations.

"At least we have a studio," she said of the new location, pointing out the bright side. "And it's right next to the liquor store." Kang said she probably will make use of Cellar Wine and Spirits next door.

As Kang sat in the studio waiting for class to start Wednesday, she said she liked it better than the old one in Gould Hall. This one has huge windows across the front, allowing lots of natural light in. Last year, Kang's studio was in the basement and all she could see out the window was the feet of passersby.

"It's really nice to have windows," she said.

But Harm said those windows are just one of the surprises that came with the new building.

When the college first looked at moving to the Main Street location, there were no windows there. But at some point the landlord decided to bring back the windows that had been there before it was a Hobby Lobby. Now the college administration is trying to decide how to dress the windows, Harm said.

Another surprise in the new building was the power supply, he said. Orders got lost and the electrician ended up installing only one 20-amp circuit in the computer lab that was supposed to house 20 computers.

The university is ordering more circuits and plugs in several of the rooms, Harm said in the faculty office space across the street.

A few minutes after he said that, another staff member passed by Harm and told him another fuse had blown.

Another big issue that came up this week is parking. Many of the students have been parking in areas that should be left open for neighboring businesses. Harm said the owner of Cellar Wine and Spirits was outside Wednesday spray painting parking spaces with a wine bottle figure to delineate which ones were for his customers.

Harm said the parking situation should be sorted out in a few days as students figure out where to park. He decided to look on the bright side of the crowded parking lot.

"If there is an upside to this," he said, "it looks like a thriving downtown now."

Another challenge related to the new space is the fact that the faculty offices are across Main Street from classroom and studio space, Graham said.

"So the faculty have to go back and forth and if the students have to go over there for something" it can be difficult, he said. Fortunately, there is a crosswalk at the stop light in front of the buildings.

But aside from the small challenges, Graham said the move is for the best.

"I think the students like it down here overall. They've never been all together like this," he said.

The college will host a grand opening for the building Friday afternoon after the dedication of the clock tower downtown. Graham said the goal is to reach out to the surrounding businesses.

"We want to be good residents in the community," he said.

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com

        

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