MGoPhotos - The Stadium and Campus Construction
Today I took some time and took a walk around campus to see some of the construction and how things are going about. I drive by the stadium a few times a week so none of that was new to me, but I'm sure there's some on here that would love to see an update. I didn't take a ton of pictures of the stadium - we're at the point where we kinda know what we're getting, so these reflect the little work left to be done IMO. Also included: Crisler/Practice Facility construction is underway, the Law School is getting a new building south of it and north of the Ford School, and North Quad is approaching completion and is quite simply stunning. I'm considering going back out either tomorrow or later this week to hit up the Soccer complex, wrestling complex, and Hospital addition, so hopefully I can post some pictures on those. If anyone has any requests, let me know! Click on each picture to see that respective set in lightbox mode. I saved them at about 1160 width, so if you enlarge them they won't blow up your screen. Disclaimer: As I got to the stadium, I realized my camera was almost dead (it died at North Quad), so I avoided playing with settings and spending any unneccesary time with it on. As such, quality is good, but not great.
Here's what's happening with Crisler and the new Basketball facility. I really didn't expect to see all this once I turned the corner and started heading east on Stadium Boulevard. There's not a ton of insight here as to what's it come, but it's interesting to see they've already completely torn out that hill on the southwest corner of the arena.
Moving on to campus, here's some pictures of the new Law School building and some construction on Law Quad/Law Research building. There's talks that the University is trying to get the street between the soon-to-be new building and Law Quad to be a pedestrian only street. That would be pretty nice and something I'm in favor of.
Here's North Quad. Quite simply, it's amazing. There's no doubt in my mind that it has to be the premier facility/building/dorm in B10 country. The pictures fail to relate just how huge North Quad is. The first picture kinda shows how tall the southwest tower of North Quad is, just a little shorter than the Bell Tower. The northwest plaza looks great (near the end of the pictures). Unfortunately my camera died right after the last picture.
EDIT:
nvm maybe not the best thing for me to post.
great pics dude. makes me miss ann arbor even more.
When all that is done the campus will look even more amazing then it does now, that's saying something.
Law school photos made me hungry and thirsty just knowing that Dominicks is right across the street. Ann Arbor, I love you.
The one place I was really excited to go when I turned 21, was Dominick's. And it's one that never disappoints. I'm not even ashamed to say my family came to Dominick's instead of going to my Big House graduation (we did attend the Eng one in Crisler).
My gandfather and I planned to sneak out and go to a bar when I graduated in '93. My mom and grandmother caught wind of it and killed that plan real quick. Looking back on it, I would have enjoyed a nice afternoon having a few cold ones with my grandpa far more than listening to a bunch of speeches I've already forgotten.
(Edit: OK, the term "already" is bit misplaced since it's been 17 years - but you get my point)
Agreed, although I thoroughly enjoyed being in the big house one last time as a Student.
Good stuff. I'll have to visit and see the campus next time I am in Michigan - it is crazy to me that the Northwest Plaza looks so nice, considering it was basically the old high school/one big hole while I was there.
I had one class in there in my 4 years there. The north quad is where that nasty thing used to be, yes?
I remember the ramps up and down through the hallways with random half-floor stairwells. Absolutely terrible.
Like an over in the summer and a freezer in the winter.
The Frieze building was the worse, but I think it's being or has been redone. Used to be the old Ann Arbor High School. The University traded some land and money for the Frieze building. The Ann Arbor Schools used the cash to build Ann Arbor Pioneer on the land they got in the swap.
The Frieze building was knocked down to make way for North Quad so those pictures you see are where the Frieze/old Ann Arbor HS used to be. All that remains of the old building is a piece of the facade of the old high school that faces the back of the building.
The Frieze had the worst heating and cooling system. I remember, in the winter, there'd be gigantic temperature differences from one room to the next. One room would be like 60 and the one across the hall 80. I'm not shedding any tears for its disappearance.
I spent maybe a third of my UM life in the Frieze Bldg. (Don't remember the temperature problem at all, probably because I had nothing to compare it with.) Last time I was on campus was in its Big Hole era. Amazing to see what's there now.
Great pics. My request would be pics of campus, i.e., the Diag, South U, and State Street and most importantly, the Arb. Maybe I should just come back...
I have not seen the east side of the Stadium yet, it is really beautiful.
The campus shots were awesome as well.
Thanks
The contrast between Crisler and the Big House is ridiculous. Get that practice facility done pronto!
...replacing the Frieze Building is such an improvement. I remember taking Russian in the Frieze. It was quite the run down building in the '80s. If memory serves me correctly, the School of Social Work was headquartered there. Is that an accurate memory?
I do believe social work was in Frieze. I took Korean in that building and hated it. You'd think all the foreign languages would've been in MLB (the Modern Languages Building) - go figure.
Another building I wasn't really fond of was Perry Building.
korean is an ancient language ;)
If it's any consolation, the MLB was only slightly less dumpy. Most of the classrooms were on the bottom level and in the winter, there'd be a huge pool of mud at the bottom of the stairs.
but I can confirm that the School of Information is located in North Quad now (once it is completed.)
Social Work has its own building at the corner of South U. and East U. now.
Well done - welcome updates. Especially good to see the work on Crisler underway - was starting to look awfully small next to the stadium.
Thanks!
Does anyone else think that the old Frieze facade looks a little out of place on that shiny new building?
...I like the nod to city and school history.
The stadium is looking absolutely great. I can't wait to see it in person this coming Autumn. Also, my good lord does Crisler Arena need to go. I guess renovating is better than nothing, but they should just build a new arena. That being said, I'm glad that the university is at least doing SOMETHING about it. Updates were definitely needed for Michigan Stadium and Crisler Arena and were definitely long overdue.
I wonder if the university plans on installing new benches throughout the stadium as well, unless they already did it without my knowing.
...a new gallery up with pictures of the Crisler project covering its first two weeks. My takeaway, the new building is going to take up a fairly large chunk of territory.
Hey, Tom- is there any way you could link to these in a way that someone can save them by right-clicking on them? For example, my background on my work computer is/has been the construction of the stadium as it goes along, and I'd love to add a new one/change it up.
Also, I love the pics of the law school-- as an M Law alum, thank you; these are the first pics of the law school addition I've seen. Much appreciated.
Is there one or two specifically you like? I didn't upload full-size versions, but can and link to them.
This calls to mind a question I've wondered for a long time. What used to be on the lot where the Ford School of Public Policy Building now stands? I was on campus when it was being built but I can't remember what used to be there.
....was a private residence. See the pictures of the demolition of the building here.
Also, according to the Bentley's U-M building chronology page, 733 S. State was bought by the University in 1996 and subsequently demolished. That may be the building in the picture although Google Maps puts that address just north of Weill Hall where the new Law School Academic Building (pdf) is being constructed.
Nice find!
I was at U of M when Sigma Phi Epsilon's top floor burned at the corner of South State and Hill. I believe Duggan Fife was a member at that time. They had their charter revoked by the school--not just for the house burning down, by the way. My brother was instrumental in getting Sigma Phi Epsilon rechartered a couple years later, but by then the house had been demolished. My dad (BS 1968, DDS 1972) was SigEp too at the same house. It looks as though Chabad House is still there (from google maps).
But that's the answer to your question: The old SigEp house.
A crummy "modern" house made mostly of wood. Sig Eps turned in their charter just before it would have been revoked by the school/IFC due to hazing.
So the house was unoccupied when it caught fire, possibly because of squatters.
Sig Eps burned the house down - that is at least the "lore" running through the kids who were initiated there in the early 2000's.
Yes, as a SigEp I can confirm that it was the SigEps who burned the house down, but it was after the charter was recoked by nationals. SigEp nationals owned the property, and once the house was burned down they sold the property for a pretty penny to the University.
Rehabbing Crisler is just one more in the long line of lousy decisions by Martin: hiring Amaker; hiring RR; putting in $1/3 billion lux boxes and not even widening the 18" of bench seating width which has existed for so long.
Crisler is such a horrible facility for watching a game (or gaining any kind of home court advantage), it deserved to be replaced before doing any work on the Stadium.
I'm torn on the idea of Monroe partially closing. It would be bad for traffic on the corner of State and Hill if Monroe was closed. I don't know how many times I avoided that awful intersection at State and Hill by going down Monroe and Oakland. I would see a lot of people do the same move. On the other hand, Monroe closing would create an awesome plaza there.
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