One of the few national rankings in which our University consistently makes the top ten is the ugliest–or least beautiful campuses–list. The 2009 Princeton Review ‘Least Beautiful Campus’ list had N.C. State at number ten, and these rankings were based on student perception of their own campus. While many students complain about the massive amounts of brick, there is one building that gets more hate than all the rest: Harrelson Hall. The massive amount of hate that this beautiful spaceship of knowledge gets is ridiculous.
Harrelson, which used to be home to the math department, is rumored to have little time left before it is torn down, especially since the opening of SAS Hall last year. Most people I know regard Harrelson Hall as an ungodly eyesore that needs to be demolished as soon as possible. While I won’t criticize anyone’s aesthetic opinion, I would like to make the case that Harrelson is a unique and beautiful building and that we should be careful before we pass judgment on architecture that is slightly ‘outdated.’
Harrelson was built all the way back in 1961 and is the first circular building ever built on a college campus. It has a square footage of 105,732 — which not much smaller than SAS hall which has 123,152 square feet. The massive amounts of classes that are crammed into the building are not a negative but a positive feature. I have had a couple of classes there and for me, neither were very uncomfortable or hard to access —- granted wheelchair access is a negative of the building. The first day was a little confusing, but after that the halls become easily navigable.
I still enjoy seeing the building on my daily walks through campus and I sometimes resting under its wonderful shaded area. The shape recalls the Roman’s love of circular buildings and at the same time it resembles a spaceship. But the best part about it is that it breaks up the monotony of identical brick buildings that plague our campus. Harrelson and Poe Halls are the only buildings on main campus that are not made out of brick. I respect and admire Harrelson’s non-conformist, rebel nature.
There have been rumors of Harrelson sinking into the ground and that it is more expensive to fix than tear down and build a new building. If that is the case, of course I support its demolition. But if the push towards demolition is just motivated by architectural taste, I caution passing final judgment. We may not appreciate it now, but styles change and it could come back in terms of aesthetic reputation. This is what happened with Victorian architecture.
The excellent website ‘Goodnight, Raleigh!’ posts in-depth articles about local history and architecture. One story they reported on was the Victorian house on Hillsborough Street that is attached to the ‘Jackpot’ bar. In the 1950s, Victorian style was regarded as tacky and atrocious. The front part of this massive, beautiful home was ripped off and a nightclub was built on to it. Now it is still a club and the home remains abandoned and in a sad state of disrepair. If only those builders in the 1950s had waited a few years, Hillsborough Street would feature a restored Victorian home that would have added a lot of character to the neighborhood and value to the property. The same goes for Harrelson on our campus.
Lots of students complain about the overabundance of bricks —- myself included -—but strangely, the most hated building on campus is not brick: it is round. We should relish and enjoy a brick-free, unique and economical building on our campus. If Harrelson is demolished, the gaping hole that once was an engineering marvel will be filled with brick after monotonous brick.
