By Evan Wyse, ’00
Lawrence Today magazine, Spring 2004
The October 2001 issue of Atlantic Monthly featured an
article called “The
Most Beautiful Place in the World,” in
which eight contributors ruminated upon that subject. Their choices ranged
from spectacular settings (Princess Louis Inlet, British Columbia) to the more
personal and esoteric (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles). My choice, also somewhat
esoteric,
is the front porch of the little gray Victorian house at 742
East John Street in Appleton, for several years home to the Outdoor Recreation Club (ORC).
It’s an old worn-down place that, like many college-owned houses, has
been chopped and patched to maximize sleeping
quarters. The erstwhile living
room and dining room and parlor space have all been recommissioned as bedrooms.
Even when it was built, it would have been one of the smaller, more modest
houses in the neighborhood, smaller than the three-story gabled edifice on
the opposite corner and lacking the wood detailing of International
House or
the red brick of Hulbert House.
The house itself is not without its charms, however; a fireplace distinguishes
Room 1, Rooms 2 and 3 have bay windows, and the main stairwell has a small
open landing with no discernable function. The upstairs features three large
bedrooms and two smaller single rooms. Spray-painted on the concrete wall
in the darkest area of the basement are the words “Bon Jovi Room.”
The porch is a haven for shaggy-haired youths in ragged armchairs and a stable
for thrift-store ten-speeds. South-facing, it draws late afternoon sun. On
the east edge of campus, there is an abundance of activity to watch: Korth
and Dorn’s trucks heading to the Foremost Farms whey processing plant
or professors and students on the sidewalk. We once saw a red-tailed hawk dive
at the porch, then swoop up and land on the roof, before flying across the
street to search for dinner.
Since 1998, 742 East John Street, at the northwest corner of John and Meade
Streets, has been home to the Outdoor Recreation Club, whose mission is to
facilitate outdoor adventuring, including hiking, mountain
biking, and camping. Regular trips include downhill skiing in Colorado, cross-country
skiing in northern Wisconsin, and kayaking in the Apostle Islands.
ORC has a collection of gear that is used for club activities but also is
available for any students to borrow. The house serves as a sort of lodge
to organize
and load up for excursions, and the living room is usually strewn with tents,
sleeping bags, and packs left over from the last trip, the house setting
being far superior to residence hall lobbies or the union for gearing up
for such
activities.
While ORC and the McCarthy House Cooperative (“Co-Op House”) are
the two longest-standing theme houses in Lawrence’s residential pool,
other themes have included participation in government, the Globe (theatre
outreach), and the EARTH House (environmental awareness). To qualify for a
theme house, a group must commit to providing a service to the community. ORC
has assisted in trail management at Mosquito Hill Nature Center and adopted
a stretch of highway. Other theme houses have provided tutoring, coordinated
lectures, and worked to improve environmental conditions on campus.
The McCarthy Co-Op was named for Appleton’s most famous politician, although
it is hard to find support for communal living in any of his speeches or writings.
The Co-Op residents cook some of their own meals and strive to reduce their
environmental footprint by purchasing organic and other green foods.
In recent years, Lawrence has expanded the number of small houses available
for students from a few to several and has opened a small number of other
houses for the general lottery. Before the expansion, it was more difficult
to get
a house, to the detriment of campus organizations. Now the campus has a broad
collection of theme houses that make it a more stimulating place.
Small houses also provide a style of private living not afforded by residence
halls. Doors are often left open. People with time to kill stop in; the ORC
porch is a slayer of time. Concerts happen in foyers, and people dance on
staircases. The common space in small
houses might be their most appealing feature. It is simply easier to step
into the living room and talk Mozart or Kurosawa in a small house than in
a residence
hall or academic building.
Louis Menand won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for history for describing a group
of young men who met to discuss philosophy and created the Pragmatism school
of philosophy. His book, The Metaphysical Club, inspired other stories
about people who worked and socialized together, including The Lunar Club and Tuxedo
Park. Theme houses represent the same sort of communal spirit.
When I talk to high school students who plan to visit Lawrence, I tell them
to walk by the ORC House and the other theme houses. Any college has residence
halls and nice old buildings, but not every place has student housing with
crooked woodcut signs, hanging plastic penguins, or compost heaps.
Evan Wyse, ’00, a former Lawrentian editor, works at Gaylan’s,
a sporting-goods chain in suburban Minneapolis.
Editor’s Note: In the spring of 2002, the Outdoor Recreation Club was awarded a two-year assignment for formal group housing under the new Formal Group Housing system, which started in the 2002-03 academic year. Where previously, ORC had enjoyed the privilege of a Theme House designation, allotted on a year-by-year basis, their application for longer-term group housing was successful, and members continue to reside at 742 East John Street. Campus organizations desiring to experience group housing may now apply for either one-year residencies as a Theme House or three-year residencies as a Formal Group House. The ORC is eligible to re-apply for formal group housing status this spring.
