Union renovation plans aired at public forum

The same plan that envisions an expanded lobby at the Wisconsin Union Theater would also boost the amount of Terrace seating area available near the theater, officials said Tuesday.

“Our whole goal is to preserve the past and improve the future,” Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier told about 120 people at a public forum on the plans. “Everybody has a favorite place at the Union. Everybody has a favorite place on the Terrace.”

Architect Del Wilson, of Milwaukee’s Uihlein-Wilson Architects, said that available seating space would grow by more than 2,500 square feet because of the changes and that needed lobby and lounge space would be added.

Critics of the plan, however, complained the expansion would alter lakeside views from the Terrace and is not in keeping with the historical character of the building.

“We will lose that horizon-to-horizon feeling,” said John Sharpless, a UW–Madison history professor who voted against the plan as a member of its design committee. “I think it’s a big mistake. “

This much is certain: People love the Memorial Union Terrace and are backing efforts to revitalize the union itself. The project marks the first comprehensive renovation of the union in 85 years.

The first phase of the Memorial Union Reinvestment Project will renovate the west side of the building, including the Wisconsin Union Theater, Craftshop art facility and the Hoofers outdoor recreation space.

The $52 million project is expected to begin next summer and end by the summer of 2014. A second phase will renovate the central wing, commons wing and adjacent areas.

But when it comes to an expanded theater lobby area proposed atop the theater’s adjoining deck, opinions diverge.

Sarah Marty, managing director of Four Seasons Theater, which has produced 10 shows at the theater since 2006, said the facility badly needs a new lobby. In addition to a lack of space, she said it has accessibility issues.

“People are crammed in a tiny lobby now,” she said. “This lobby is a real problem.”

But Ken Raffa, an entomology professor, said he believes that the lobby expansion “interrupts the seamless connection with the lake.”

Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities, laid out the history of the Terrace and pointed out that the lobby expansion was included in plans — including the Campus Master Plan — as early as 2005.

“That set the stage for beginning to think about rebuilding the Union, “ Fish said. “We’re going to try and make another investment that will make it better for the future.”

Wilson said the project updates a number of building systems, including ventilation systems, some of which are 73 years old. It will also allow for easier, less-complicated building access, new elevators and — for the first time — a sprinkler system.

It also calls for expanding the space for Hoofers, providing an indoor brat stand and the theater lounge with a rooftop “sunset deck” that will provide more seating with an elevated vantage point.

It would also provide indoor lounge space for students and Union members when it was not being used for other functions. That would enable patrons to enjoy the view of Lake Mendota year-round.

The glassy lobby area would be built off the north side of the theater on the deck area above the Hoofers’ boathouse. Union officials have worked closely with the Wisconsin Historical Society to preserve the building’s historic character.

Matt Tobolewski, a graduate student, said the changes would not have a pronounced effect on other Terrace seating.

“The students want the Union to be rebuilt. Why not go with something we want?” he asked, pointing out that the project is being paid for largely by segregated fees that students approved in a 2006 referendum.

It will also be financed with private donations and through Union operating funds.

Madison landscape architect Kate Stalker urged officials to consider other alternatives to the lobby expansion, such as providing student lounge space on the other side of the building, near Park and Langdon streets.

Sharpless said he supports the vast majority of the renovation plan and its many upgrades, but added that the lobby plan represents “mission creep.”

Fish noted that the conversation about the project is one of the “complications of trying to solve multiple equations,” and said he expects more open houses to be held in the next couple of months to discuss the project.