University of Washington Quad

Last updated
University of Washington Quad, Spring 2007.jpg

The Liberal Arts Quadrangle, more popularly known as the Quad, is the main quadrangle at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It is often considered the school's trademark attraction. Raitt Hall and Savery Hall frame the northwestern boundary while Gowen, Smith, and Miller Halls frame the southeast. At the top of the quad sits the latest buildings on the quad, the Art and Music Buildings. The quad is lined with thirty Yoshino cherry trees, which blossom between mid-March and early April. [1]

Contents

History

The history of the Quad traces back to the beginnings of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition campus. Although the Quad was not finished until 1950, its layout was produced as early as 1915 by its designers Henry Suzzallo, an early UW President, and architect Carl Gould, who designed numerous buildings on the UW campus. In 1915, the Board of Regents adopted Gould's "Revised General Plan of the University of Washington", known more commonly as the Regents Plan. [2]

The first building built to enclose the Quad was Raitt Hall, which was named for Effie Isobel Raitt, director of the University of Washington School of Home Economics (a school founded in 1930 and incorporated into the University of Washington School of Nutritional Sciences and Textiles in 1978; currently part of the University of Washington School of Public Health [3] ). On a rainy day, Raitt invited legislators to the wartime shack that housed the School of Economics. Issues with the building led to the allocation of funds within the Regents Plan to build a new structure for the school.

Philosophy Hall in 1922, photograph by John Nathan Cobb Philosophy Hall, University of Washington campus, Seattle, 1922 (COBB 345).jpeg
Philosophy Hall in 1922, photograph by John Nathan Cobb

In 1920, two more structures were built in the Quad. Student payments into the University building fund financed the construction of Commerce Hall, which was completed in 1917. This method of funding also marked the first instance of tuition for higher education in the state of Washington. Philosophy Hall, whose construction was interrupted by World War I, was finished in 1920. It was later combined with Commerce Hall to form what is presently known as Savery Hall. Between World War I and World War II, the University built three more structures in the Liberal Arts Quadrangle. Miller Hall, finished in 1922; Gowen Hall, finished in 1932; and Smith Hall, finished in 1939 marked the complete enclosing of the Quad.

Gould and Suzzallo's plan was finished upon the construction of the Art and Music Buildings. The Art building was built in 1949 and the Music building was finished the following year in 1950. These two buildings, each with a single tenant that towers above the space between them, act as a grand gateway for those descending the three-tiered staircase into the Quad's northeastern end. [4]

Cherry blossoms

The quad is lined with thirty Yoshino cherry trees, which draw sightseers when they blossom, typically between mid-March and early April. [1] The cherry trees were bought by the UW in 1939 and initially planted at the Washington Park Arboretum. [5] [6] The trees were moved onto the campus's Liberal Arts Quad in 1962 after construction began on State Route 520, which cut across part of the arboretum. [7] The decision to move the cherry trees to the Liberal Arts Quad was likely made by a group of people including President Charles Odegaard, Frederick Mann, Ernest Conrad, Eric Hoyte, and other staff from the architect office. However, "the outset of the unique arrangement of the cherry trees in the Quad can be easily traced down to one man. Eric Hoyte, the landscape architect, designed the arrangement." [8] In 2014, an additional 32 trees were donated with funds from the Japan Commerce Association and will be planted at Rainier Vista and in the arboretum. [9]

47°39′26″N122°18′26″W / 47.657263°N 122.307198°W / 47.657263; -122.307198

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Washington</span> Public university in Seattle, Washington, US

The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State University</span> Public university in Pullman, Washington, US

Washington State University is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an undergraduate enrollment of 24,278 and a total enrollment of 28,581, it is the second largest institution for higher education in Washington state behind the University of Washington. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee</span> Public university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wisconsin System. It is also one of the two doctoral degree-granting research universities and the second largest university in Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State University of New York at Geneseo</span> Public university in Geneseo, New York

The State University of New York College at Geneseo is a public liberal arts college in Geneseo, New York. It is New York's public honors college and part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The college was founded in 1867 as the Wadsworth Normal and Training School before it became part of the new State University of New York system as a state liberal arts college in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzzallo Library</span> Library at the University of Washington

Suzzallo Library is the central library of the University of Washington in Seattle, and perhaps the most recognizable building on campus. It is named for Henry Suzzallo, who was president of the University of Washington until he stepped down in 1926, the same year the first phase of the library's construction was completed. The library was renamed for him after his death in 1933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Square (University of Washington)</span> Place in Washington, United States

Red Square, officially Central Plaza, is a large open square on the Seattle campus of the University of Washington that serves as a hub for two of the university's major axes, connecting the campus's northern Liberal Arts Quadrangle with the science and engineering buildings found on the lower campus. The plaza is paved with red brick, and becomes notoriously slippery during rain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point</span> Public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, US

The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Established in 1894, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System. UW-Stevens Point grants associate, baccalaureate, and master's degrees, as well as doctoral degrees in audiology, educational sustainability, and physical therapy. The 406-acre (164 ha) main campus includes the 280-acre (113 ha) Schmeeckle Reserve, 15 academic buildings, and 13 residence halls. UWSP also has two branch campuses located in Wausau and Marshfield.

University of Nevada, Reno Arboretum is a state arboretum located across the campus at the University of Nevada, Reno in Reno, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meany Hall for the Performing Arts</span>

Meany Hall has been the name of two buildings on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. The current Meany Hall is considered one of the region's premier performance facilities, highly acclaimed by artists and audience members alike for its outstanding acoustics and intimate ambiance. Individual performance venues include the 1,206-seat proscenium Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater, and the 238-seat Meany Studio Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Washington School of Law</span> Law school in Seattle, Washington, US

The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quadrangle (architecture)</span> Open space or courtyard between buildings

In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or a courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles are also found in other buildings such as palaces. Most quadrangles are open-air, though a few have been roofed over, to provide additional space for social meeting areas or coffee shops for students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Marshfield</span> Satellite campus of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA

The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Marshfield, is a satellite campus of the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point located in Marshfield, Wisconsin, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Alabama Quad</span> University quadrangle

The Quad is an approximately 22-acre (8.9 ha) quadrangle on the campus of the University of Alabama located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Home to most of the university's original buildings, this portion of the campus remains the geographic and historic center of the modern campus. Originally designed by architect William Nichols, construction of the university campus began in 1828, following the move of the Alabama state capital from Cahaba to Tuscaloosa in 1826. The overall design for this early version of the campus was patterned after Thomas Jefferson's plan for the University of Virginia, with its Lawn and Rotunda. Following the destruction of the campus during the American Civil War, a new Quad emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Different in form and function from the original design of the early 19th century, the modern Quad continues to fill its role as the heart of the campus. Although surrounded by academic and administrative buildings, only five structures are built directly on the Quad: the Little Round House, Tuomey Hall, Oliver-Barnard Hall, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, and Denny Chimes. The remainder of the space is occupied by a grove of trees on the west side and a great lawn on the east. A feature on the northwestern side, known as The Mound, is the site of the old Franklin Hall. A popular gathering place, the Quad is home to pep rallies, a bonfire during homecoming, and numerous day-to-day student activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campus of the University of Washington</span>

The Campus of the University of Washington is located in the University District of Seattle. Campus buildings are categorized by the major street or vicinity on which they are located on campus. In 2011, Slate magazine and Travel+Leisure described the Seattle campus as one of the most beautiful university campuses in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Gates Hall</span> Building on the campus of the University of Washington

William H. Gates Hall is an academic building of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. William H. Gates Hall houses the University of Washington School of Law. The building is named after late William H. Gates, Sr., a lawyer who served as a partner of the Preston Gates & Ellis law firm. Gates was a 1950 graduate of the UW School of Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Condon Hall (University of Washington)</span> University of Washington building

John T. Condon Hall is an academic building of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. The building formerly housed the UW School of Law. The hall was named after John T. Condon, the first dean of the School of Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Quad (Stanford University)</span> University building

The Main Quadrangle, or more commonly Main Quad or simply Quad, is the heart and oldest part of Stanford University in California. The collection of connected buildings was started in 1887 and completed in 1906. The Quad was damaged in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, repaired, less severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and repaired again. The exteriors have remained almost the same since the beginning, though the interiors of most of the buildings have changed radically. The Main Quad is still used for its original purposes of teaching, research, and administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvan Grove Theater and Columns</span>

The Sylvan Grove Theater and Columns, also known as the Sylvan Grove Theater or simply the Sylvan Theater, is a sylvan theater located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington. Within the theater are four 24 foot (7.3 m) tall Ionic columns from the original University building downtown, constructed in 1861. They are some of the oldest-standing architectural pieces in Seattle. It has been called "one of the most beautiful places on campus."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Washington College of Education</span> School of education at the University of Washington in Seattle

The University of Washington College of Education is the school of education of the University of Washington. The College of Education offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry blossoms in Seattle</span>

Cherry blossoms play an important role in the city of Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. Seattle has more than 1,000 cherry trees donated by Japan as a symbol of friendship. Christine Clarridge of Axios Seattle wrote, "The annual bloom of cherry trees across Seattle symbolizes the end of the dark months and the beginning of spring, drawing residents and swarms of tourists to the city's most popular viewing places." The season's peak varies depending on weather conditions, but generally lasts from January to March.

References

  1. 1 2 Tep, Ratha (September 30, 2011). "America's Most Beautiful College Campuses". Slate Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  2. "Raitt and Savery Halls: Summary of Historical Research" (PDF). University of Washington. March 14, 2004. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  3. "History | Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health" . Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  4. "Gould's Legacy: a history of the Quad". The Daily . November 8, 2000. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  5. Orenstein, Walker (May 24, 2014). "Cherry trees from Japan to grace UW campus". Northwest Asian Weekly . Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  6. Kelley, Peter (March 22, 2012). "Cherry blossom watch 2012: Any bloomin' day now". UW News. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  7. Elste, Toren (March 18, 2016). "Toren's tidbits: It's cherry blossom time!". UW Sustainability. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  8. Shiotani, Yuki. "History of the Cherry Trees in the Liberal Arts Quadrangle at the University of Washington" . Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  9. Yun, Esther (May 21, 2014). "UW receives gift of cherry trees from the people of Japan". The Daily of the University of Washington . Retrieved January 7, 2018.