Regents approve Schembechler Hall renovation
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011912aab.html
I'm happy that a complete renovation of the entryway is part of this plan. Should be quite a spectacle when completed.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:14 PM ^
I probably shouldn't post this, since it's not yet officially public, but here's a sneak peak at the new entryway:
January 19th, 2012 at 6:17 PM ^
Great. I hope its on par with what the basketball players have in the new PDC. State of the art training facilities are a must if we want to recruit against the top football programs.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:22 PM ^
The football program already has great training facilities. This is more about adding the museum and a new entrance.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:25 PM ^
Looks like somebody missed all of history. We are a top football program.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:22 PM ^
What's the deal with the museum? Is it open to the public? Will it be open to the public after renovations are done? I'd love to see all the history.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:26 PM ^
Doubtful. They might have one day where it is open to the public after renovations are done, but Schembechler Hall was never really intended to be "public" in any way.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:37 PM ^
I don't know about that. There are public viewing hours in the current museum right now, though they are limited.
January 19th, 2012 at 7:59 PM ^
Reading comprehension is fundamental. We're talking about the museum, not Schembechler Hall in its entirety.
Based on the fact that the current museum is now open to the public 4-5 days per week, I'm willing to guess the new one will have equal, if not greater public hours.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:46 PM ^
Brandon is quoted in the press release saying that after the renovation the museum will be open "from time to time" to the public:
"The museum will be redone and modernized during the renovations," added Brandon. "We will have more interactive displays to go along with the trophies and memorabilia. This space will also highlight the new 'Michigan Football Legends' recipients that began this year with the induction of Desmond Howard. The overall renovations will provide a 'wow' experience for our student-athletes, coaches and recruits as they step inside Schembechler Hall. We also hope to open these spaces up from time to time to allow our fans and supporters to enjoy this celebration of Michigan football."
January 19th, 2012 at 7:45 PM ^
Turns out I'm wrong. The museum is going to be much more accessible to the public after the renovations.
January 19th, 2012 at 9:29 PM ^
Brandon's clearly running out of things to spend money on.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:32 PM ^
Money is doing good things for the program if we can afford nice renovations like these. Jersey money. /semi-serious
January 20th, 2012 at 1:56 AM ^
I don't care how much it costs....as long as I can go see it when it's done.
January 20th, 2012 at 11:58 AM ^
"We are looking to transform the exterior look of this building to match the other facilities on our athletic campus."
This implies that the renovation is not simply putting in a new entryway, but will also result in altering the exterior appearance of the entire building. If this is accurate, hallelujah. From an architectural design standpoint, that building has been an eyesore since it was built, IMHO.
It was designed by the then-famous and very prominent American/Latvian architect Gunnar Birkerts, who had achieved local fame for his firm's design of the below-grade Law School Library expansion. I don't know who made the decision to select Birkerts for Schembechler Hall, but it was done long before Martin became AD. Birkerts was a confirmed modernist architect whose design sensibilities and goals did not place priority on considerations such as fitting into an existing architectural fabric. Sometimes this approach can be the perfect solution, and sometimes it can yield horrible results, as it did here.
Birkerts is certainly still regarded as one of the world's notable architects from the 1970s-1990s, and he's received many, many awards for his work in the U.S. and Europe. However, I think he was the wrong choice for Schembechler Hall.
Ironically, the other foray into hiring internationally-known architects for work on the athletic campus was a much greater disaster. The infamous halo around Michigan Stadium was designed by Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates, an extremely influential firm based in Philadelphia. I believe that their selection was largely done at the behest of former UM President Lee Bollinger. FAIL.
January 20th, 2012 at 12:43 PM ^
If that's true about Bollinger, man, that guy has weird taste. Apparently he was the driving force behind the infamous halo around the stadium, too.
January 20th, 2012 at 1:46 PM ^
in the selection of Schembechler Hall's architect; I only know he was involved in the halo stuff.
There are early sketches of Birkerts's on the Bentley Library website for the building, and they're dated 1985-1990. I would guess that it was erected in that time span, so whoever the AD and UM President were at the time would have selected Birkerts. Shapiro? Roberson? Duderstadt? Or was Bo AD then?