Lawrence Today magazine, Fall 2009
The Warch Campus Center
Realizing the Dream
It is an architectural and environmental triumph. Carved into a hill and towering over the picturesque Fox River below, the stunning Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center officially opened its doors at the start of the 2009-10 academic year. The most common word that sums up student, faculty and staff reaction to the new facility is quite simply “Wow!”
Because the university began contemplating a new campus center back in 1988, before many of today’s students were even born, and because the facility has surpassed the expectations of most everyone involved with its planning and construction, the 107,000 square foot, $35 million dollar building has the ambiance of a dream come true.
“Students seem to be awed as they enter the Warch Campus Center for the first time,” said Nancy Truesdell, vice president for student affairs and dean of students. “They remark on many of the things that were central in the planning process — the warmth of the wood finishes, the extensive use of natural light, the sense of crossing paths with others, the casual gathering spaces and the ways in which the Warch Campus Center is transforming student life.”
Approaching the Warch Campus Center, one can’t help but be amazed by its sheer beauty. Large windows, handsome stone accents and an inviting patio serve to welcome members of the Lawrence community.
Entering through the glass front doors brings one to the third level and the building’s main floor. A wide, sun-splashed slate hallway guides you past the café, apparel and gift store and the information desk. Ample chairs and tables are filled with students chatting or working on their laptop computers as they take a break between classes. “This is just much more spacious,” said Maureen Darras ’11. “It doesn’t even compare to the old union. It’s so nice and sunny. Everyone wants to be in here all of the time.”
At the end of the main hallway are the Pusey and Somerset Rooms. Designed as student lounge areas, these comfortable spaces are meant for casual conversation or just relaxation. “The couches are really comfortable,” said Colin Potts ’13. “I love the pool table, too.” The Pusey and Somerset Rooms can be set up for meetings, receptions and other special events for up to 500 guests.
Level two features a 134-seat cinema with full AV capabilities, a corner store, student mail services and a full-service post office. The Mead Witter Room and the Esch Hurvis Room and Studio offer breathtaking views of the Fox River.
All spaces in the campus center are available to rent for private community events, too. From the start, the building’s blueprints focused on flexibility, according to Greg Griffin, director of the Warch Campus Center. “The larger rooms are all multi-purpose rooms,” he said. “They have quick turnovers. For example, in the Esch Hurvis Studio, we can do a 10 a.m. dance class, and later on, set up for a rock band. We can roll in tables and chairs and configure the spaces any number of ways.”
The first level is home to Andrew Commons and the Brengel Dining Room. With more space, more dining options and window seating all around, students are giving the new dining services at Lawrence an eager two thumbs up. “I love the food,” said Paul Hulburt ’12, “especially the pizza.”
The fourth level belongs to the college’s 97 student clubs and organizations. There is ample workspace so that multiple student groups can be working on a variety of different projects at the same time.
After 21 years of planning and construction, nearly everyone involved agrees that the Warch Campus Center was well worth the wait, and that the facility is enhanced by the ongoing input and involvement of students, alumni, faculty and staff. Some of the early designs, for example, placed the campus center in the fraternity quad. The final design left that area of campus intact, and the lives of students living in fraternities and theme houses is greatly enhanced by their close proximity to the new social hub of the campus.
“It has opened the eastern half of the campus for primary use. The areas east of Lawe Street used to be disconnected from the rest of the campus and were perceived differently. That is no longer the case” said President Jill Beck. Moreover, said Beck, the Warch Campus Center advances the mission of Lawrence, a residential liberal arts college where student interaction outside the classroom — with other students, faculty and the local and global community — is a fundamental aspect of the education for which the college has become known.
“Lawrence is striving for increased stature nationally. In order to support our claim that Lawrence can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best liberal arts colleges, we needed to improve the quality of residential life. I see this as an important step in the construction of Lawrence’s national profile as a top-notch liberal arts institution.”
