Our Campus Needs to be Beautified

[gordo nation]

UNT is in serious need of campus beautification. Whether it's the streets that tear through the core of campus, or the lack of creativity and beauty given to the car centric, sprawled out landscape, I feel that most in the UNT community could get behind some sort of beautification project here at UNT. Before you think I am crazy, look at the University of Louisville. They were able to take a hideous campus surrounded by major manufacturing plants, and turn it into a lively, beautiful, and desirable campus. Students nowadays make their first impression on the beauty of a college's campus. While UNT has spots that are pleasant, I still feel like the campus leaves much to be desired. 

I am an urban planning student here at UNT and I have been gathering feedback on a proposed movement that I am trying to implement here on campus. I understand not all of these reactions will be positive, but I would love to hear your thoughts on my idea. Here it is...

[UNTLifer]

You think it's bad now.  Should have seen it in the mid 60's when my family moved to Denton.  It looks like a botanical garden compared to then.

[letsgiveacheer]

8 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

You think it's bad now.  Should have seen it in the mid 60's when my moved to Denton.  It looks like a compared to then.

Isn't that the truth! Coming from Virginia, I enrolled in the autumn of 1971 without any previous visits. I had never seen such an ugly campus in all of my life.  The facilities were bad as well; overcrowded classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, etc. At West Hall, they had three of us to a room.

[THOR]

5 minutes ago, letsgiveacheer said:

Isn't that the truth! Coming from Virginia, I enrolled in the autumn of 1971 without any previous visits. I had never seen such an ugly campus in all of my life.  The facilities were bad as well; overcrowded classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, etc. At West Hall, they had three of us to a room.

campus was ugly in 95....gotta love those orange seats in the pit...and west hall still had 3 to a room then

[CaribbeanGreen]

Hell, it was ugly in '98-'02.... spent most of my life between the GAB and Wooten... aesthetics only a bomb shelter architect from the 70's could love! 

I'll all about this effort, anything we can do on this front is important and awesome - I'm just appreciate of how far we've come in the 20 years since I first graduated.

[MeanGreen4Life1998]

You apparently never saw UNT just 10 years ago

[VideoEagle]

Interesting to see the pinned tweet about how great our facilities are with a picture that shows a LOT of trees. The picture was taken this weekend by a first time visitor who was very impressed with our campus. 

[xyresic]

My understanding is part of the issue with some of theses proposals over the years is that the City owns the streets rather than UNT so UNT cannot just snap their fingers and take them over.

[GBarksdale]

17 hours ago, CaribbeanGreen said:

Hell, it was ugly in '98-'02.... spent most of my life between the GAB and Wooten... aesthetics only a bomb shelter architect from the 70's could love! 

 

Wooten - dear lord.  I spent most of my time there.  Ugly as hell, and no windows in the classrooms.  Like some sort of detention center. And let’s not forget the library — looked like something from East Germany.  
There were some bright spots though — the Administration building and the old Smith Hall that housed KNTU.  

[Coach Mac Andy]

The only parts of campus I find still absolutely hideous are down by College Inn and the Environmental Science area. The most beautiful area is definitely by the Auditorium building. When it snows, that area in front of the Auditorium building makes you feel like you’re at an Ivy League.

Wooten, GAB, and Language building are a monstrosity. I like the music buildings, they have a weird brutalist beauty to them.

Campus looks SO MUCH BETTER today than it did in 2009 when I got there.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Coach Mac Andy

[southsideguy]

Funny when I arrived here in the mid 1970's I thought the campus was beautiful.  Probably because I grew up in El Paso and had never seen that many trees and green in my life.  

TWU is trying to get Bell closed and I think they may have done it.   So it can be done but you have to get a city council member to push it.   I wouldn't ask the Mayor because his old business was an eyesore of its own.  

I have been on the TWU campus and they seem to better job with grounds than we do.  I guess a smaller campus makes it easier.  I am not sure who is in charge of that aspect but they could do better.  I have great memories at the GAB because that is where I had most my classes and met great friends.

I think a building that could be torn down (don't know what it called) but it located across from Maple hall next to the music building.  It looks a elementary School building.  Some of the older building on campus give it character.    I remember one day I took a different walking home and went out of the west doors of the GAB and walked up the mall towards the Admin building.  It really had the college vibe.  It is so different from the path from the GAB to the SUB and beyond..

Back then the Old Business Building did not have air conditioning.  In the spring the windows would be open with no screens the wasps would fly into the classroom.  

[Matt from A700]

21 hours ago, gordo nation said:

UNT is in serious need of campus beautification. Whether it's the streets that tear through the core of campus, or the lack of creativity and beauty given to the car centric, sprawled out landscape, I feel that most in the UNT community could get behind some sort of beautification project here at UNT. Before you think I am crazy, look at the University of Louisville. They were able to take a hideous campus surrounded by major manufacturing plants, and turn it into a lively, beautiful, and desirable campus. Students nowadays make their first impression on the beauty of a college's campus. While UNT has spots that are pleasant, I still feel like the campus leaves much to be desired. 

I am an urban planning student here at UNT and I have been gathering feedback on a proposed movement that I am trying to implement here on campus. I understand not all of these reactions will be positive, but I would love to hear your thoughts on my idea. Here it is...

I am not old enough to join the rest of the crowd in reminiscing about how ugly the campus was in my day, so regarding your actual post, I love the idea. Would be really interested in seeing what other ideas you'd have for the campus, and Mean Green Village.

[Stix]

4 hours ago, southsideguy said:

I think a building that could be torn down (don't know what it called) but it located across from Maple hall next to the music building.  It looks a elementary School building.

That's exactly what it was - the Lab school building.  Remember, we started as a teachers college.

I think part of it was torn down for the music building expansion in the 70s.  I'm amazed that the space has never been re-used, for a new building. I guess they still use the building somehow.

[Salsa_Verde]

The UNT Master Plan had a great overview of how they plan of changing the core of the campus to a more pedestrian centric university. 

[Coffee and TV]

Leaning a lot of you don't appreciate brutalist architecture and while it's not surprising it still hurts a little.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Coffee and TV

[Coffee and TV]

I'd also like to add that there is an unrealistic portrayal in Hollywood about how many outdoor classes that there are in college. I was disappointed when nobody was on board in April and it was 64 degrees out.

[Coach Mac Andy]

15 hours ago, Coffee and TV said:

Leaning a lot of you don't appreciate brutalist architecture and while it's not surprising it still hurts a little.

I like brutalist architecture, my complaint with campus is more of the massive parking lots and huge streets slicing through it. I mean, it gives it that faceless Dallas appeal, of parking lots that extend for miles, though.

Edited November 9, 2022 by Coach Mac Andy

[UNTFan23]

On 11/7/2022 at 3:04 PM, gordo nation said:

UNT is in serious need of campus beautification. Whether it's the streets that tear through the core of campus, or the lack of creativity and beauty given to the car centric, sprawled out landscape, I feel that most in the UNT community could get behind some sort of beautification project here at UNT. Before you think I am crazy, look at the University of Louisville. They were able to take a hideous campus surrounded by major manufacturing plants, and turn it into a lively, beautiful, and desirable campus. Students nowadays make their first impression on the beauty of a college's campus. While UNT has spots that are pleasant, I still feel like the campus leaves much to be desired. 

I am an urban planning student here at UNT and I have been gathering feedback on a proposed movement that I am trying to implement here on campus. I understand not all of these reactions will be positive, but I would love to hear your thoughts on my idea. Here it is...

Turning Highland into a pedestrian walkway means Maple will have to become a two-way street. Given that there are four resident halls along Maple this does not seem like a good idea.

Edited November 17, 2022 by UNTFan23

[meangreendork]

A more pedestrian friendly campus *and Denton, as a whole* is a great idea. Broadly speaking, there's a place for cars, but that place isn't everywhere. 

[El Paso Eagle]

A few year back UTEP removed parking and closed off an area inside the campus

 

 

[southsideguy]

I haven't been on UTEP campus in years but the top picture the two story building is or was the the student union building. The second picture looks like a different place on campus.  No students could park in the upper parking lot.

[El Paso Eagle]

9 hours ago, southsideguy said:

I haven't been on UTEP campus in years but the top picture the two story building is or was the the student union building. The second picture looks like a different place on campus.  No students could park in the upper parking lot.

Same area, different angles

 

[southsideguy]

The little building in from of I think is Maggoffin auditorium was throughing me off.   Surprised they still have so much grass on campus with EP water issue.  They still the little hut with a man inside it on the street coming into UTEP.

 

[El Paso Eagle]

11 hours ago, southsideguy said:

No students could park in the upper parking lot.

I believe this was staff parking 

[GMG_Dallas]

@gordo nationhave you considered modeling in front of the library? Beautifying the campus doesn't need to involve school administrators. Be the change you want to be.