The Chapel Hill weekly., 1949-07-15
Friday, July Is. 1949
University of North Carolina Architecture:
Review and Commentary by Arthur C. Nash

the chapters Archibald book "The
Campus Of the First State University Is contributed By Arthur
NGsh sOho for the Unversys resident Grch
tect and aOhO has remained its service consulting Grcet
he left Chapel the Eve Washington.
graduate of HGrvard the Ecole des BeGr Arts IN Paris
Mr. Nash member of the faculty Of the Cornell University
school of architecture before he entered practice fOydd
ago. Probably eVer left has imprint the architecture
of community surely than he has left his 3pon the orchi
lecture Of Chapel H HIS Influence the character Of the
public buildings and homes greater than that ereted by his
his ideas and his haze found oppression gear
By gear, the aCOrk Of his professional disciples
HerebeIoW from Mr. Masks chapter IN the
Henderson book:
Like the older American institutions of learning the
University of North Carolina has handicapped by the lack
of comprehensive Campus Plan yet be fair must give
the Unvers founding fathers credit at least for having made
good start
Tradition se the
budng-laer to be known "Od East-that building
intended only of much important two
winged central building and that the central building with its
two wings was TO face toward the East But this idea was
favor of Quadrangle with open side facing
northward probably said DR. Kemp P Battle address
1883 the University buildings at the suggestion of Dr. Cad
well and Prof Harris who educated at Princeton
Thus about that the formal plan-he South
Building fanked by Old East and Old Weswas established
northsouh good start thusmade toward suitable
and dgned PLAN though for thereafter it
clear which regarded the important direction
Campus expansion the nohsouth axis easwes expansion
W placed after the of village street. At the end
preCv War period the village street idea quite definitely
in the ascendant.
All who draw inspiration from the history of the Universy
early struggle should be grateful to the Trustees their
sion to retain this group of pioneer budngnow happily
built with poof interior construction and grateful too that
the University has such honestly expressed architectural style
to fall back upon deeply rooted it the traditions of
past Come what in her future architectural development
she reasonably certain that Old the South Building
Old West will endure bearing witness the Spartan spirit
those early days. well the fundamentally then
current.
In the postCv War period 1920 the year which
the great building expansion of the University began only
did the expansion along Cameron Avenue continue
for the first time 1848 (when the Old West completely
additional construction took place the North Campus For it
within that span years that the Alumni Buildings the
nege Library now the Hill Music Hal and the Battle Vance
PegreW domory group built Standards of taste in arch
lecture at low ebb during the greater portion of that
period Between 1860 and 1920 of older American
eges and universities blown about by wind of arch
ectura doctrine Harvard YALE Princeton and many of the
lesser institutions of learning throughout the land have
their buildings ample evidence prove it. Nor did the Unyer
sy OF North Carolina wholly this blight witness the
Continued pd0)