October 17, northeastern corner of UM central campus

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On the 17th I went to a presentation about Second Life and the ways it is currently being used at the University of Michigan to further educational goals. It was very interesting and I'll talk more about that in the future, I'm sure.

I walked to Palmer Commons, which is new in the last few years. I had never been in that building, and don't spend time on that part of campus........ (Note to ex-Ann Arborites in the crowd -- Palmer Commons is in the corner where Washtenaw turns into Huron, right next to the power plant.)

Walking from the southwest corner of central campus to the northeast corner.

This is the Institute for Social Research. My dad worked here in the '60s, and I worked here in the '80s and '90s. I still work for part of ISR, but we are no longer in this building.





Locust leaves.





Oak and locust. I did not pose this........





Angell Hall, which houses offices.







Burton Tower. We saw it in July at Art Fair time. Here it is now, with seasonally appropriate companions.





Rackham, home of graduate programs. The heart of central campus, the Diag, is behind me.







The north side of the Dental School.







Across Washtenaw from Palmer Commons is "the Hill" -- dorms that were women's dorms when they were built, but which have (with one exception) been co-ed since 1970.

We are looking at Mosher-Jordan, commonly known as Mo-Jo, which has been completely renovated in the last couple of years. All the glass on the back is a new dining facility that now serves all the students in the Hill dorms.





Turning north just a bit, next to Mo-Jo is Lloyd, and on the north end of the block is Cousins, where I spent my freshman year. Note white dome of the observatory, between Lloyd and Cousins. It was built in 1854, and is now a museum.

You can see there is a new pedestrian bridge over Washtenaw. That will make for safer students! Washtenaw/Huron is a main drag with lots of traffic.





Standing in the same place, turning south. At the right edge is the new undergraduate science building. In the distance on the right is University Towers, where I lived for most of the '70s. It was there that I lived on the 19th floor, with a totally unobstructed view north.

Over Washtenaw is the old pedestrian bridge, and just beyond it is the Central Campus Rec Building. Once upon a time, when these dorms housed only women, the "women's pool" was in the precursor to this building. The pool is still there, and the larger building holds all the other things you'd expect in a campus rec building.

On the left is Stockwell, the only dorm that remained gender-segregated. It is being completely updated now; not sure who will live there once it is done.

Note maize-and-blue bus -- the U runs free shuttles to all the different parts of campus. Necessary with a campus this size, scattered over many miles.





Ok. Now we are walking west toward home. On the right edge is the back of Palmer Commons. We are looking straight north across Huron. That glass building is on the other side of Huron. Note chimney from the power plant.....





A bit farther west, still looking north. This white building with green windows is something to do with the medical school, I think. (The hospital complex is directly northeast of the Hill dorms.)

On the left is the Power Center for the performing arts. It is right next to the power plant, but is named for the Power family who have been major University supporters for decades.





South end of the Power Center. The taller building in the reflection is the dental school.





Ramps up to the balcony are in the large circular things sticking out the front.







From the front.





I have to say I like this glass-and-concrete aesthetic.

One of the things I love about the Michigan campus is that it is so diverse, architecturally speaking. We have old buildings (well, mid-west-USA-ically speaking, I mean -- "over 100 years old"), we have middle-aged buildings, we have brand new buildings....

Lots of the older buildings (like Mo-Jo) have been renovated in recent years. I am so glad that it is part of the University's standard operating procedure to save the old buildings. It doesn't always happen, but it is more usual than not.

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