Wisconsin- Madison Historic Structure Report
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UNNERSITY ORY& OF WISCONSIN- NASI MADISON HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON ARMORY AND GYMNASIUM HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT PROJECT NO. 9109-81 PREPARED FOR STATE OF WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION DIVISION OF FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT BY THE ZIMl\.1ERMAN DESIGN GROUP MESICK COHEN ·WAITE ARCHITECTS MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN ALBANY, NEW YORK· JULY 1992 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEOCEMENTS v PREFACE vii FOREWORD ix SUMMARY xi INTRODUCTION xix HISTORY 1 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION 45 Exterior Interior PROBLEMS OF REPAIR 141 RECOMMENDATIONS 167 COST ESTIMATES 186 APPENDICES A. Mortar Analysis B. Structural Report C. Subsurface and Concrete Investigation D. Metallurgical Report E. Mechanical Report F. Electrical Report G. Code Analysis ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A sincere thank you to the State of Wisconsin Building Commission. Governor Tommy G. Thompson, Chairman Senator Carol Buettner, Chairperson, Administrative Affairs Subcommittee Representative Lolita Schneiders, Chairperson, Higher Education Subcommittee Sena tor Fred Risser . Sena tor Jerome Van Sistine Representative Lary Swoboda Representative Robert Turner· Mr. Bryce Styza, Citizen Member Robert Brandherm, Secretary to the commission Due largely to your interest and direction, this Armory and Gymnasium Historic Structure Report is the first of its kind prepared for a state-owned historic building in Wisconsin. The development of this historic structure report is the result of state-wide concerns about significant historic architecture and should set a standard for all future projects involving significant state owned properties. Also, thank you to the project team members. They represent many different backgrounds, concerns, and view points, yet their close cooperative working relationship was truely a multi agency effort resulting in a high quality project. The team spirit generated illustrates that state agencies can work together and achieve positive results for the user and the building. Mary K. Rouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dean of Students Chris Gluesing, University of Wisconsin-Madison Planning and Construction Jim Kennedy, University of Wisconsin Systems Jeff Dean, State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Sewell, State Historical Society of Wisconsin I am encouraged by the fine quality of work of the consultant team, Zimmerman Design Group and Mesick· Cohen·Waite Architects Architects. I know the value of their efforts will prove to be a key in the further development of the preservation movement in Wisconsin. Thanks for your high degree of skill, professionalism, and enthusiasm. July 1, 1992 Charles J. Quagliana, AIA Project Manager Department of Administration Division of Facilities Development V the Zimmerman Design Group Dave Stroik, AIA Dave Drews, AIA Doug Barnes, AIA Jerry Gomez Mesick-Cohen ·Waite Architects Partner-in-Charge John G. Waite Review Partner James A. Cohen Project Manager William G. Foulks Architectural Staff Laurence F. Wilson A. Patricia Hughes Lee Pinckney ill Architectural Historian Diana S. Waite Harwood Engineering Consultants Structural Conrad Etnneyer, P.E. John Beffel, E.I.T. Tom Beckman, P.E. Electrical Fred Werner, P .E. PSJ Engineering Jesse Jaspal, P.E. Mark Lentz, P.E. Partick J. Giraghty, C.l.P.E. vi PREFACE Since the UW-Madison Armory is a unique building, it was placed on the state and national registers of historic places in 1974. Rich in Wisconsin and American history, it has been the site of activities and events which have national, state, and local significance. Throughout its nearly 100 years, the Red Gym, as it is popularly known, has touched the lives of countless people. Located in the heart of campus, its architectural distinctiveness and its history make it a particularly appealing landmark-one which can continue to play a central role in the University's development. We now have the opportunity to revitalize the Red Gym to serve contemporary and future needs. Unfortunately, in its present state, it is vastly underutilized and deteriorating steadily. This report carefully and comprehensively outlines the legacy we are trying to preserve through the cooperative efforts of a number of agencies and individuals in order to reverse its current condition. It also explains in detail how the building can be successfully adapted to serve a number of important functions. As a student of Latin and Greek in college, I learned about how our lives are shaped by the past. At the same time, as the University's chief student affairs officer, I recognize we have a pressing need to provide adequate accommodations for such key functions as the Office of Admissions, a Visitors' and Information/Referral Center, welcome and orientation programs, a multi-cultural center, and services for international students and faculty. The Historic Structure Report represents an extensive study conducted over six months. It is a distinctive document, in fact, the first of its kind requested by the State Building Commission and the University. It speaks to historic preservation and adaptive use and recognizes the need for responsible fiscal planning. The team which helped put the plan together includes representatives from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin; the prestigious historic preservation firm of Mesick· Cohen·Waite Architects of Albany, New York; the Zimmerman Design Group of Milwaukee; the Wisconsin Division of Facilities Development (DFD); the State Building Commission; the Campus Planning Committee; the UW System Planning Office, and myself as representative of the University's student service programs and the Chair of the Committee on the Future Use of the Armory since 1988. Also, the Evjue Foundation has provided generous support in the planning process. What we have collectively produced is a plan to make the Red Gym the "gateway to the campus." The varied functions described in the report are designed to provide greater access to the campus and its facilities to a wide variety of constituents, especially prospective and newly enrolled students, their families, and visitors. The revitalized Red Gym will provide both a physical symbol and a programmatic focus for our efforts to personalize the University. The prospect of a renovated hub of activity for the campus, as it was from 1894-1930, is exciting. We look forward to achieving the goals outlined in this document. vii We appreciate the assistance of the people who have thus far advanced our cause and welcome the involvement of all who support this very special project. Regards, Mary K. Rouse Dean of Students July 1992 viii FOREWORD Opened to the public in 1894, the University of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium-now commonly called the "Old Red Gym"-was a major monument when it was built and is today one of the most significant and recognizable of the buildings on the University of Wisconsin Madison campus. Designed by the regionally significant architectural firm of Conover and Porter, the Old Red Gym has contributed in many important ways to life on campus, as is detailed in the fascinating historical analysis in this report. The richness and vitality of its history continues today, as the building is rehabilitated for new uses while, simultaneously, its historic and architectural character is carefully restored and maintained. This report is a "Historic Structure Report," or HSR, and it represents the first such report ever prepared by the State of Wisconsin for a historic building in its ownership. While HSRs for major historic buildings, and the activities that generate them, are standard practice in some areas of the United States, they are new to Wisconsin. Thus, the Old Red Gym has become part of another historic activity-the careful, state-of-the-art analysis of, planning for, and treatment of historic buildings, which has grown out of the broader historic preservation movement in the nation and the need for all of us to learn how· better to care for our historic sites and buildings. Concern for our historic resources has been expressed in tangible form during the past half decade by the State Legislature and governor, which have enacted pioneering legislation to improve the environment for historic preservation in the state, and to assure that historic resources, like the Old Red Gym, are neither lost nor defaced, but remain living parts of our communities and neighborhoods. Indeed, these laws directly have caused this HSR to come into being. They have instructeq all state agencies to consider the impacts their actions may hav~ on historic and archeological resources, and to make plans that, to the degree possible, are sympathetic to these resources. The Old Red Gym HSR is significant, as well, in that it marks a new level of cooperation between state agencies in devising plans for state-owned historic buildings that are appropriate for the contemporary use of the buildings and that meet historic preservation objectives. In this case, the University of Wisconsin, the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, and the Department of Administration have worked closely together with the two architectural firms as a team to prepare a report that meets often conflicting objectives. I hope that this HSR will be just the first such report in Wisconsin, not only for state-owned property, but for all historic buildings worthy of the thought and planning such reports generate. Certainly, the State Historical Society stands ready to do its part in assisting other state agencies and property owners in preserving the irreplaceable historic resources that give