Old Fraser Hall...
Hill Topics
Lawrence, Wednesday, March 6, 1996
ROCKS return to CAMPUS Stones Disappear!
PROFESSORS REMEMBER BUILDING
Story by Teresa Veazey
Their home is a patch of weeds off West 15th Street.
Stones, parts of Old Fraser Hall,
took a vacation last week to campus as part of a landscaping project to cut down on mowing while beautifying the area. Before KU students and faculty could enjoy the new view, the stones were rolled back to their home behind the facilities operations building early the next morning.
Beyond the patch of weeds and beyond the pieces themselves lies the story of Old Fraser Hall, one of the first buildings on the University of Kansas campus.
When it was first built in 1872, the building was called University Hall and was renamed Fraser Hall in 1897 after Chancellor John Fraser. Complete with a grand wooden staircase inside and twin towers on
the outside, Old Fraser was at one time the largest academic structure in the United States, according to a 1965 article in the University Daily Kansan.
"When I came, it was the first thing you saw when you approached the University," said Richard DeGeorge, professor of philosophy since 1959. "It was one of the symbols of the University."
But as the building aged, its deteriorating condition became a concern.
"I do remember that when it was time to tear it down, some people felt it was no longer safe," DeGeorge said.
Although the building was historic, leaning walls, cracks and deterioration in the all-wood interior could not be ignored. In a 1965 statement about Old Fraser, Chancellor Clarke Wescoe said the 93-year-old building gradually was crumbling under its own weight. Fraser offices were used until June 1965, when University officials closed the building.
"It was in bad shape," said Marilyn Stokstad, professor of art history who was curator of the Museum of Art when Old Fraser was torn down:
"It was dangerous to have an office there," she said. "It could have gone up in flames at anytime."
Stokstad said it was a difficult situation because it would have cost
more to restore the building than to build a new one.
EXTRA
Controversy arose when the University talked about tearing down Old Fraser.
"We really tried very hard to convince the University to save it and improve it," Stokstad said.
Trying to convince the powers that be to save an old building meant arguing and writing letters in support of Old Fraser. But even fliers emblazoned with the words "Save Old Fraser Hall" and letters to local newspapers were not enough to save the building.
In July 1965, Old Fraser Hall was demolished.
"I feel that I failed my profession," Stokstad said of her efforts to keep the building. "I don't know what more I could have done."
Construction on the new Fraser began in March 1966, less than 50 feet from the original site.
But the modern academic building, with 21/3 more floor space than the old hall, was not welcomed by everyone, Stokstad said.
"New Fraser could be one of the worst buildings I've ever seen in terms of architecture," she said. "They lost a great deal — history, culture, fine arts — in exchange for a pragmatic, materialistic warehouse."
One of the earlier proposals was to remodel the inside and keep the outside structure, but it wasn't con-
sideded cost-effective, said DeGeorge.
"I think we've probably gained space and efficiency; what we lost was history and character," DeGeorge said. "It represented the early days of the University. It was a very handsome building."
DeGeorge didn't know if the building was structurally sound and could have remained, but he said he didn't have strong feelings about razing the building. Tearing down old buildings is the price of progress, he said.
"It's like crying over spilled milk," Stokstad said. "As much as I regret the passing of the building, nothing can bring it back."
Before Old Fraser was torn down, some of its pieces were preserved.The wooden paneling and doors were used to decorate Adams Alumni Center and the Centennial Room in the Kansas Union. But no similar decorative use for the stones has been agreed upon.
Its stone remnants served as a reminder that the building once existed. But the pieces, which sat at the heart of campus for less than a day, were sent back to storage almost before they could be seen.
"If something good was done, why couldn't they just approve it?" Stokstad said. "The idea of using old stones to make an attractive sculpture garden was a wonderful one."
Pieces of History
TOP: Old Fraser Hall as it looked around 1900.
ABOVE RIGHT: Old Fraser being torn down in 1965. (Illustration and photo from University Archives)
RIGHT: Stone pieces of Old Fraser. They made a brief appearance on campus last week and then were returned to a field off West 15th Street. (photos by Brian Flink)