8 THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

THE CAMPUS

By the provisions of the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin, the
University must be located at or near the state capitol, afterwards fixed
at the “village of Madison.” The founders of Madison intelligently adapted
the original plan of the city of Washington to local conditions, select-
ing an eminence in the center of the city for the site of the capitol, and
laying out radial thoroughfares approaching it so that it closes the vista
from every direction. A mile to the west, at the end of one of these radial
streets, on a second elevation rising abruptly to a height of more than a
hundred feet above the shore of Lake Mendota, the principal building of
the University was erected, thus closing the view from the capitol in that
direction.

The earliest buildings to be erected on the campus were North and
South Halls (1851, 1855), which contained for some years not only all the
classrooms and offices of the University, but also the living quarters of
both faculty and students. These twin buildings, remodeled in recent
years, now house the departments of mathematics, journalism, and political
science, and several administrative offices. Rapid increase in enrollment
soon resulted in the erection of University Hall (1857), since renamed
Bascom Hall, which at once became and has always remained the center of
the University. This building, originally constructed in the simple and
dignified modification of classical renaissance architecture accepted in
America since colonial times, has been twice added to (1900, 1906), and has
recently (1927) undergone further enlargement in conformity with far-
sighted plans for symmetrical expansion. In Bascom Hall are located the
principal educational administrative offices of the University and the
classrooms and offices of several of the more important departments of
instruction in liberal arts subjects.

From Bascom Hall a broad open plaza bordered by elms—the upper
campus—sweeps downward in the direction of the capitol. Along one
side are North Hall, the Engineering Building (1901, 1910), and Science
Hall (1888), back of which, near the lake shore, may be found a number of
the special buildings of the College of Engineering; on the opposite side
are situated the Biology Building (1910), South Hall, the Law Building
(1893), and Music Hall (1879), flanked by the group of women’s buildings,
including the two dormitories, Chadbourne Hall (1871) and Barnard Hall
(1912), and the gymnasium, Lathrop Hall (1909), which is also used as a
center of social activities for women. Back of Bascom Hall, at the base of
the hill, are the Chemistry Building (1905, 1912, 1928) and Sterling Hall
(1916), in which are housed the departments of physics and economics.

The lower campus, a flat area encroaching upon the old residential
district of the city, is still in an early stage of development. Here, at the
lake’s edge, stands the combined men’s gymnasium and armory (1894)
adjacent to which are the boat houses and an open field used for a parade
ground and for certain types of athletic exercises. Close by is situated
the most stately of all the buildings on the campus, the Library (1900,
1912), an edifice of Bedford limestone with a colonnade and terrace of great
beauty and dignity. In a grove of oaks and elms toward the lake from
the Library stands the newly completed (1928) Memorial Union Building,
“erected and dedicated to the memory of the men and women of the Uni-
versity of Wisconsin who served in our country’s wars.” Among the
features of this building are a large refectory, several dining rooms, rec-