I have yet to encounter a fellow student here at ZooMass who thinks that we have a cosmetically appealing campus. A lot of people tend think of it as more of an eyesore. For the most part, I agree with this thinking. This campus is a melting pot of different architectural styles, but almost none of them seem to work. A lot of the edifices are simply ugly. Morrill is a disorganized mess, Hasbrouck look ridiculous from all angles and the Campus Center needs to be destroyed by a terrorist bomb (providing people have been given time to evacuate).
I know I’m not saying anything new here. Calling the campus ugly is like saying the food at the dining commons tastes bad. What I would like to do is call attention to the fact that there are diamonds in the rough here. Every other campus I’ve ever visited for whatever reason has showcased thoughtful and attractive architecture, artistic landscaping or scenic vistas that seems to bring pride and prestige to the school.
Driving onto the campus of Syracuse University in the evening, one is greeted by beautiful and lush gardens illuminated as if it were day and featuring a huge flowing fountain. These gardens lead up to an administrative building that looks like the Lincoln Memorial, except maybe for Honest Abe perched in his chair wearing his famous half grin. The considerably smaller campus of Skidmore University in Saratoga has a small pond at its heart. There are soft lights all along the lip of the pond and a grand gazeebo extends over the water. If your first date with the girl from Botany class is faltering, go for a walk to this destination. This place will give you charm and charisma.
One little spot I visited just recently is a gem nonetheless. Few people know of the Durfee Conservatory found at the base of Orchard Hill, near the UHS building. Inside of this greenhouse is a collection of flowers and plants that come from all over the world. In the humid environment that was as close to a rainforest as I will probably ever come, I saw everything from the tiny bonzai tree made famous by Ralph Macchio to this enormous vine which grew along the ceiling and produced flowers like pink pompoms. The topper in this oasis was a pond – yes, a pond, centered in the largest room of the greenhouse. Colorful koi swam back and forth in roughly a foot of water that was traversed by a bridge. I half expected one of those monkeys with the colorful faces or maybe Toucan Sam to emerge from the ambiance.
A garden leads from the conservatory, and walking through this garden is a very unique experience. While going up and down its stairs and looking at rock sculptures that abound, it is difficult to believe one is still on the campus. Hasbrouck and the Awful Waffle seem light years away in the garden and I have to imagine that when everything’s in bloom in about a month; the experience is magnified exponentially.
Goodell is nice. It’s better than nice: it is a landmark on campus. It looks exactly like Monticello; in fact, I have been told that it was designed using the same blueprints as Thomas Jefferson himself. The towering columns and the Massachusetts seal give the building a very stately look that is retained inside. The walls are adorned with photos of ZooMass graduates showing off their impressive talents. My favorite one features a bright-eyed fellow holding a mechanical spider of some sort that is obviously of his creation. The look on his face hints at saying “this is the first warrior in my growing army of robot spiders…you will obey me.” I may be reading into the photo too much, but every time I see it I have to avert my eyes to the nearby photo of two graceful ballerinas. I know these dancers are probably creations of the robo-spider master as well, but I am comforted nonetheless.
It pains me to admit that even with Goodell, the one building that undoubtedly brings respect and cosmetic beauty to not only ZooMass but to the state, I have to complain. Why is it that the plaque near the entrance states that the Commonwealth College lounge and office are located on the 5th floor, room 504? There aren’t even five floors to the entire building and said office is located on the first floor. The plaque also confirms the pre-major advising office to be located on the sixth floor, which strikes me as being even more implausible. Thankfully, there is a sheet of paper tacked up near the stairs declaring the pre-major office to be on the second floor. I don’t know what I would have done had I not seen that sheet.
Two other attractions on campus are the Old Chapel and the Conte Polymer Research Center. Thinking about these structures, I find it difficult to believe that they exist in the same time zone, let alone on the same campus. The Old Chapel is a small structure of stone juxtaposed in the center of campus. It looks ancient, as if it has been standing unchanged since long before the first ZooMass professor was born. It looks all the better now that it isn’t surrounded by a padlocked fence. Far over to the eastern end of campus lies the sharpest contrast imaginable in the form of the Polymer building. It still looks like it was built yesterday, and even though I have no idea what sort of things go on inside, I know that these things kick ass. The building makes me want to major in conte polymers. Possibly my favorite feature of this research center is the manner in which it is connected to the Lederle tower. Viewed from the Northeast residential area, it actually looks as if the old and decaying Lederle has given birth to a newer and better building, smaller yet more efficient and capable. It’s a very affirming image of ZooMass moving onward with the times, rolling with the punches and letting the old give way to the new when necessary.
Take some time to look around. Marvel at ZooMass. You can take a trip to the top of the library during fall foliage. You can watch the sunset from one of the top floors on Orchard Hill, and you can overlook the green athletic pastures bordering the south of campus from one of the Southwest highrises, but you will never see the campus look as picturesque, peaceful, or welcoming as it does at night from the top of the campus center. It is ironic that such beauty can be seen from such an ugly building. Still, it wasn’t until I looked out the window and saw the twinkling lights of Central leading all the way to Orchard Hill and spilling out into the calm of the pond that I called this campus “home.”
Rick Volpe is a UMass student.
