Edward Durell Stone's Alma Mater To Tear Down Four More of His Designs
By Margaret Foster | From Preservation | Apr. 5, 2007
The university plans to demolish all but six of Carlson Terrace's
15 buildings.
Credit: Paula Marioni
The school that architect Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978) bequeathed his letters to is in the process of tearing down more of his buildings.
Two years ago, to create a tailgating park, the University of Arkansas demolished five mid-century modern buildings on Stone's Carlson Terrace, a 15-building complex built in 1958-1964. This spring, it plans to raze four more to make room for a new women's softball stadium.
In February, the university told the 185 residents of Carlson Terrace that they'll have to move out by next month.
"In the Campus Master Plan of 1998 we agreed—and it is in writing—that they would tear down the five buildings to the west of the creek, and the other 10 buildings would be saved," says resident Paula Marioni. She hopes to meet with Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to "protest the use of taxpayer money by an organization of the state to neglect, abuse, and destroy historic property," she says.
A quieter home for older, married, and working students, Carlson Terrace has had recurring plumbing problems. "[Nine] units have been off-line for some time due to their condition," says Randy Alexander, executive director of University Housing.
Stone, famous for his Two Columbus Circle in Manhattan, grew up in Fayetteville and attended the University of Arkansas. Carlson Terrace's 450-square-foot apartments have two bedrooms and one bathroom. In a few months, only six buildings will remain.
"I wonder how Stone and his wife would react to the plan to demolish the buildings he designed on campus," Devin Colman, vice president of the Recent Past Preservation Network, said in an e-mail. "To me, this seems to be a sort of 'academic cannibalism,' consuming and destroying the work of one of the university's most renowned graduates while at the same time lauding his great achievements in the field of architecture with a plaque and an archive."
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