A Modal Construction

Here is my response to Ken's Number 2.

Modular was forward looking back in 1971, and it was, as Ken notes, ahead of its time. It was flexible. I like this approach and it appeals to my own Quaker sensibility, which I think tends to highlight the beauty in function, rather than simply the beauty in appearance. It also gestures to a postmodern sensibility, one that allows for multiple entry points all of equal importance. There are many ways through college and each student should find his or her own way, the construction seems to say; this is a different sensibility from that at many colleges, where students find themselves consigned to different buildings, each with its own overbearing entry point. "You shall not pass, until you know the code – you need to learn the language of education before we will include you," the entry points seem to whisper. [I am reminded of a character in James Baldwin’s Go Tell it On the Mountain, who, standing outside the New York Public Library, is somewhat intimidated by it as it is so alien to his experience.] Stockton, architecturally speaking has said – you are welcome here, whichever way you choose to come to us, whatever experience you bring – we will take you where we find you, and we will take you to new places.

And the main building has served Stockton very well. It has been an anchor, one that has frequently changed within as new needs have arisen. With some of the newer buildings nestled around the edges – Big Blue (or the Blauhaus, as I call it), West Quad, and the Arts & Science Building (a Michael Graves design of some note) – the main building(s) has dominated the college and helped influenced how we have developed.

In this regard, the newest building (the Campus Cener) has been a considerable departure. Running almost the length of the old spine and almost doubling the square footage available to us, this building promises to be transformative. Philosophically it speaks a different language – it has an entrance and it will provide different kinds of narratives for the students immediately. But do not despair, my Quaker brethren! The transformation will be there in terms of the availability of space on the campus, I believe, but it may not alter our overall sensibility. The fact is that we may all be more sophisticated now than we were in 1971; we can read and use buildings against the grain. Moreover, colleges are now as much nestled in the mind as they are in the infrastructure. The beauty of the building will be significant, but entry-ways to the college will still be there in abundance – mainly found on the computer screen. Lastly, the old spine will serve us well again – and will continue to do so in the future. It will still provide us ways of creating new spaces in accordance with changing pedagogical needs, and we will continue to adjust into the future as new buildings come on line – just as happened when West Quad and Arts and Sciences were built.