A new time a new campus

A senior synthesis report on the 2015 Campus Master Plan

Compiled by Tim Howell

Class of 2015

The purpose of this document is to direct future growth and to give guidance to faculty staff,

administration and Center for Neighborhood Affairs fellows on how to create a master plan for a

campus of 3,000 students. This is a report about the current state of the campus rather than a

traditional research paper.

Harris Stowe has a history of over 150 years. In 1857 Harris Teachers College The St. Louis

Board of Education founds Harris Teachers College to prepare white teachers for white

elementary schools. In 1890 The St. Louis Board of Education founded Stowe Teachers College

to prepare black teachers for black elementary schools. Harris-Stowe State University is the

result of a merger between Harris Teachers College and Stowe Teachers College in 1954.

In 1979, The state of Missouri passes legislation that makes Harris-Stowe College a part of the

state’s system of Public Higher Education. In 1996 The city of St. Louis gave Harris-Stowe 18

acres of land, formerly Laclede Town site, for just $10.

Thus, from its beginnings as two normal schools in the mid and late 19th century to its present

status as a state institution of public higher education, Harris-Stowe State University and its

predecessor institutions have always been in the forefront of teacher education. Now, with its

mission expanded to include other professional disciplines, the University will provide greatly

needed additional opportunities to metropolitan St. Louis in other important fields of endeavor.

The University will continue its quest for excellence in all of its offerings and strive even more

to meet the complex and demanding challenge of preparing students for effective roles in this

region's various professions.

Harris Stowe is very accessible site located in midtown St. Louis, The campus is bordered by

Market Street to the South, Compton Avenue to the West and Olive street to the North. Sigma

Aldrich/ school to the east there are numerous bus routes with service to Harris Stowe and a

Metro link station close by. Harris Stowe Can be easily reached using I 64 two blocks from

campus, I44 and I55, University grounds are within a 15 minute drive of half the St Louis

region’s population. From a distance the Midtown skyline asserts a strong node like St. Louis's

"second downtown". The Midtown Historic District of St. Louis was placed on the National

Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, United States Department of the

Interior in 1979. Midtown is located at the geographic center of the city. The boundaries of

Midtown are Chouteau Avenue on the south, Jefferson Avenue on the east, Vandeventer Avenue

on the west, and Delmar Boulevard and Olive Street via North Compton Avenue on the north.

Harris Stowe has the opportunity to become a vital part of the resurging midtown district. In the

last few years the area has improved dramatically, particularly along Locust and Olive Streets.

Restaurants, nightclubs, barber shops, residences, offices of professionals and more have made

the decision to move into Midtown Alley. As Midtown has revived, new art museums

(Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, 3750 Washington Ave. and the Pulitzer Foundation for

the Arts, 3716 Washington Ave.) were built and the 1998 Dana Brown Communications Center,

home of KETC, 3655 Olive Street, has become a focal point for public broadcasting and new

media. Landmark Neighbors include Pappy BBQ, WellsFargo, Sigma Aldrich, Saint Louis

University, The Fox Theatre, Powell Symphony Hall,

In 1996 The city of St. Louis gives the college nearly 18 acres of land, formerly Laclede Town

site, for just $10, the Campus was one building built in the 1920s as Vashon High School and a

baseball field campus was surrounded by 8 foot fencing, the fencing is still there today. Harris-

Stowe must open up and establish relationships with neighboring businesses or risk becoming

forgotten about. The 1996 plan was very aggressive and promising but was 20 years ago and was

the last time a campus master plan was conducted.

1996 Kennedy Plan

The 1996 Harris Stowe Campus master plan was to be a massive effort stretching across 18 acres

1Library to be built in 1998 19,400 square feet

2 Physical education/ Visual performance building to be built in 1999 36,400 square feet

3 Early Childhood building and Parenting building to be built in 2000

4 Athletic fields improvments were to be phased through 2000

5 Business Education building to be built in 2002

6 Student Services & Activities building 2003

7 Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education Classroom building

8 Renovation of Givens building to be phased through 2004.

One thing not mentioned here that did happen is the closure of Laclede avenue along the north

side of the Henry Givens building.

The current campus consists of 7 buildings

1 Givens main building built in 1925 has 187,000 square feet of space.

The Givens building is in horrible condition and is in dire need of renovation immediately.

2 library opened in 1998 has 19,000 square feet of space

The library is a mediocre facility, there is a classroom, a presentation room and a meeting room,

but the computers consistently have issues, and there are no spaces for group study.

3 Bosely Hall opened in 2011 with 60,000 square feet of space.

The Bosely Center cafeteria has the newest and best restaurant equipment in the midtown

neighborhood.

4 Gillespie Hall

Gillespie Hall opened in 2006 with 82,000 square feet of space.

The bookstore and Student government offices are located inside Gillespie Hall

5 Emerson Center Opened in 2003 with 40,000 square feet of space

The Emerson Center was completely renovated during summer 2015

6 Clay Early Childhood Education Center Opened in 2009 with 50,000 square feet of space

7 Vashon Center located at the corner of Market and Compton was acquired in 1999 the Vashon

Center has a gymnasium and basement but remains unused.

Unfortunatley there were many differences between the 1996 plan and the final result

There were many shortfalls and delays in the 1996 project, the 1996 building campaign failed to

put up a business building, science building or student center.

Now that 20 years has passed and with a new administration it has come time for a new and

updated plan. The 2015 Plan moves along with the assumption that the student body will reach

2500-300 within 10 years.

We must create coherent look, devise a “design brand” and generate Sense of Place. When

people see a picture of Harris-Stowe it should be abundantly clear what they are viewing.

The 2015 Spring General Education Synthesis Class Came up with 12 strategic issues

1.The Quad

The quad is a huge missed opportunity right now it is just a huge open empty space that goes

unused. Because there are no sidewalks across the quad people just walk across the grass.

2. Placement of new buildings

With new programs and an expected enrollment of 3,000 by 2020 now is the time to take a look

at expanding current facilities and where to put them. The massive open quad has more than

enough room for three buildings.

3. Public Transportation (Metro link and Bus)

Metro bus stops are terribly placed currently there are only two bus stop that touch the Harris

Stowe campus one on Compton Avenue We must Improve access to the Grand Metro link

station if we ever want to attract commuter students.

4.Design Guidelines

There needs to be a consistent design theme, new buildings need to match and compliment

eachother.

5. Walkability/Bike-ability

There is only one entrance in and out of Harris Stowe, there is only 1 bike rack on campus.

6. Community Interface

There are no ways for outsiders to come into campus it is difficult to walk from campus into the

Community.

7. Student Amenities

There are no student amenities to speak of.

8. Athletic Facilities

Until the Warmack administration arrived in Summer 2014 athletics at Harris Stowe were an

afterthought. In summer 2015 The Harris-Stowe State University Department of Athletics

conducted a complete redesign of the Gymnasium, coaches offices, two brand new locker rooms

9. Security

In a dorm student survey students gave security on campus a score of 6.5 out of 10

10. Borders

11. Campus Expansion

Anticipating Enrollment of 3,000 with the addition of new programs and grad school we need to

increase our physical footprint.

12. Parking there are currently 720 parking spaces on campus

The Center for Neighborhood Affairs fellows then conducted walking focus groups throughout

the months of June and July.

I. QUAD

Sidewalks need to be extended from the library to the parking lot and from Bosely Hall to the

parking lot. Along the new sidewalks we should put in trees to make the campus more visually

appealing. We should also include some public art we only have 1 piece of art on the quad.

The HSSU letters should be dug up and turned into benches this would create a common area

and a sense of campus pride. We should take out the stone path on the side of the library and put

in a sidewalk complete with new trees to create a beautiful path.

The quad would be a great place to put a student center facing Bosely Hall. Student need a place

to congregate that targets the daytime population because they spend 80 percent of their time

outside so an out of class experience is vital.

On the West entrance we need to put in plots for the Divine Nine (Fraternities and Sororities)

that are a vital part of campus social life. We also need to prune the trees along Laclede Avenue

so that the downtown arch can be clearly visible.

II. GARRISON BUS ROUTES/ANGLE PARKING

* We nedd to work with Sigma and Wells Fargo on bus routes and shelters redirect bus lines to

come in on Garrison Avenue and provide direct access to the main building complete with new

bus shelters. We can also use the bus shelters as a space to advertise our University. When we do

this we need to make the entance on the east side handicap accessible.

III. CAMPUS EXPANSION

Several sites have been discussed including the Gateway Hubert Wheeler State School, the Hertz

space south of Market, spaces north of Olive but no consistent consensus has been reached and

we still have not filled in our current space. The current Plan should not specify properties only

that funding should be set aside for future acquisitions.

IV. MARKET PARKING LOT/NEW FRONT ENTRANCE

The parking lot and entrance on the Market Street side is visually hideous we need to do

something about the HVAC units, this spot could be our iconic entrance but it looks like

anything but a University entrance. The parking lot is too dark for security reasons we need to

install an emergency panic station and put in better lighting and keep edge fencing but for visual

appearance get rid of chain linked fences. Another option is to relocate the parking lot and put in

two building. We need to leave open the idea of Business building going in the Southwest corner

of the parking lot where storage shack is now.

V. COMPTON/MARKET INTERSECTION + WALKABILITY

The option of altering Compton avenue is not available there are too many events at Chaifetz

Arena although removing parking meters is a possibility. The advertising signs along Compton

will be removed as soon as their contract runs out. The historical marker on Stars Park needs to

be more noticeable, the field needs better ball park fencing Wall/bleachers on Street side and

lighting so the field can be rented out at night. We presently have a 5 year contract with St. Louis

Parking on the baseball field parking lot. We receive $80,000—90,000 a year in cut.

VI. SOUTH GRAND METROLINK STATION

Currently this is not a major issue, there is a shuttle that runs for 14 hours a day to the Grand

Station and back.

VII. VASHON CENTER

Any restoration must resemble its original and intended purpose which was a neighborhood

community center. It is not a good facility or location for new student center but there is a

chance of using it as an interim student center run by students until a permanent facility is built.

The Urbies could take care of the historic plaques. Installing a coffee shop or other retail is a

possibly option.

VIII. COMPTON BIKE LANES/STREET DIET/TRAFFIC LIGHT

There is not a lot of interest in bike lanes along Compton even though the sidewalks are in poor

condition holes in the sidewalk are a lawsuit waiting to happen, the landscaping and trees are in

poor condition Putting in a stop light at Laclede avenue would not benefit anyone. The soccer

field needs a scoreboard and lights so it can be rented out. We need signage on Emerson to

indicate relationship to HSSU. Camp Jackson sign needs to be highlighted you don’t know its

there until you are three feet away. The Urbies can adopt the two historical markers and take care

of beds and landscaping

IX. NEW CONSTRUCTION ON LACLEDE

We need a new softball field and there would still be plenty of room for a new science building

on the south side of Laclede next to ball diamond and “Greek row”

X. CEL IMPROVEMENTS—

At this time there is not a lot of buy in for off campus sites

XI. 9TH DISTRICT POLICE STATION

At this time there is no buy in, there is too much open space on the current campus

XII Bannaker school- not a lot of support for buying

XIII. NORTH FLANK Behind Emerson Center

We do not need to try to acquire Monastaro from Saint Louis University. They host too many

events. The Driveway from Olive to the dorm needs to be repaired.

We need to open up the park on the North entrance people in the neighborhood don’t know

HSSU exists from the north side. Should open up park to create more of a vista. The park looks

like a jail cell. Need signage to indicate that this is the north entrance into the campus. President

Warmack does not see a problem with park. It had been unlocked and students did not use.

XIV. OTHER ISSUES (All sessions)

We do not have a Student Center, if we are going to compete as a grad school we need a student

center complete with recreation, lockers and showers, commuter lounge, meeting rooms and

retail outlets such as a bank and restaurants.

It would be very nice to have a walking path around the perimeter of the campus.

Along the eastern flank Sigma Aldrich contracts out landscaping maintenance, but all issues

inside our fence. We should lose our fence.

Could overflow parking be provided on vacant lots on north side of Olive?

How to get university and corporate communities to live in neighborhood?? Families will not

live there because of school and safety issues.

People do not know where the entrance is, there is no signature entrance

The tennis courts should be remade into some type of gathering space we should use that space

as a recreation area with basketball courts.

We need to create more of a sense of campus life for commuters

Presidents 5 year goal 2700 students.

XV. DESIRED DATA (All sessions)

We need to do a metro study to see how to attract more commuter students, we are so close to

downtown where so many people work.

We need to do a parking study, what hour of the day uses the most parking and how much

parking do we need with the targeted enrollment of 3,000 students?

What amenities do students want? There are no student amenities on campus.

How many cars go down Compton, Market and Olive Streets? And what is the ideal speed limit

in these areas?

What is the Student/Faculty/Staff Desire for more bike-ability?

XVI. CONVERSATION WITH STUDENTS BEFORE TOUR WITH PRESIDENT

A. Complaints

People in the neighborhood surrounding Harris-Stowe say our campus is ugly because

landscaping is terrible all over campus and there is too much fencing.

B. What They Like Early Childhood Center looks very nice from the front you can clearly tell

the building is less than 10 years old and it fits well into the small campus feel and we are close

to so many restaurants like Pappy’s, Southern and Vito’s. There are many retail opportunities

available on campus.

Author Reccomendations

Harris-Stowe State University's primary mission, is to address the higher education needs of the

metropolitan St. Louis region. Now with a brand new administration is the time to make changes

and suggestions previous administration did not respond effectively to students if they responded

at all.

During this time of change everyone needs to be prepared and be honest

Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls,

and park-like settings

The Henry Givens Building needs a complete overhaul complete with updated classrooms,

modern faculty offices, modern communication line our email system, current system crashes

during midterms and finals weeks

We need a student union

We need a STEM building, Harris Stowe has outdated labs when I took physical science most of

the lab equipment used was older than 50 years.

We need an academic center complete with tutoring staff the Academic Resource Center is a

bare minimum facility. There is no place for student s to receive tutoring outside a select number

of remedial math and English courses.

Business building a business college is comprised of four academic departments: Accounting,

Computer & Information Technology, Economics & Finance, and Management & Marketing.

Create campus feel/identity our campus is generic, bland and has nothing interesting to offer.

Timeline/Needs to be another plan done in 10 years

We need to find a use for the old Vashon Center, if we do not it will continue to dilapidate and to

be an eye sore.

No more dorms it was a waste to build the Bosely building

Student Survey results

1 Do you feel that we need additional buildings on campus? Yes 33 no 3 91.6% yes

2 Should we have more pathways on campus? Yes 23 No 13 63.8 % yes

3 Are you satisfied with the landscape of the campus? Yes 20 No 16 55.5% yes

4 Are you satisfied with parking on campus? 1-10 average satisfaction score is 4.2

Do we need more amenities on campus? Yes 30 No 6 83.3% yes

What term do you like better? Yard 16 Quad 20 55.5% say quad

On a scale of 1-10 how often do you use metrolink and public transportation?

37 students gave an average rating of 4/10. Dorm students do not use metro very much

On a scale of 1-10 how safe do you feel on campus?

37 respondents gave an average rating of 6.4 students do feel somewhat safe on campus but

there is definatley room for improvement

Topic:

I am doing my senior synthesis on the university campus master plan. My report will have a

neighborhood focus. Because my paper is a report it will have a little bit different structure than a

traditional research paper but I will be sure to include 20 pages.

The question be presented is what physical features would students like to see on campus. I will

conduct a report about survey results. I have over 50 survey results.

This question is important because it affects how Harris Stowe State University will look in the

future. I chose this topic because Harris Stowe badly needs a new science building and the

Givens building needs a massive overhaul including faculty offfices. The University is also in

dire need of a new science building.

University President Warmack and Dr. Mark Abbott are both very concerned with this project, I

selected this topic because I believe Harris Stowe should look much better than it does now.

I am not sure what literature I will use most of my material is survey and interview information.

Research Proposal:

My central issue is the Harris Stowe State University campus master plan.

A new president, a new era a new HSSU. Now is the time for a University makeover an

attractive campus will attract donations, students and employees, The HSSU campus master plan

provides an ambitious framework for the development of the University’s physical campus in the

coming decades. A University master plan will address how we can catch up with the times and

become a modern campus.

My piece of the plan will be current physical conditions. I will be sure to include a section on the

history of the current campus, I will also take a look at how we can use our neighborhood

surrounding to attract even more positive attention.

The master plan will include Research and Analysis, Review of past plans, and ultimately a

printed master plan.

My report will include a report on a student survey conducted in Spring 2015.

I will write a section about current physical conditions of the Henry Givens Campus and make

suggestions for the future including creating new social and intellectual spaces for gathering and

study outside of residences halls and classrooms, a softball field, and a new science building.

Resources in my piece will include: Student survey, President Warmack, Dr. Mark Abbott,

previous master plans, and members of the master plan committee.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

I was unable to find any relevant material before 1990

1https://stlexplorer.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/midtown-alley/

information about midtown neighborhood

2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_St._Louis#New_construction

3 Student survey

4 http://www.hssu.edu/sp_content.cfm?wID=50&pID=478

Campus history

5 http://www.hssu.edu/deptdocs/2/hssuViewbook.pdf

Campus stats

6 http://www.hssu.edu/deptdocs/21/HSSU_President's_Report_08_Web.pdf

7

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tglacfp8m9nhh82/Advisory%20Board%20Presentation.pptx?oref=e

This is the baseline of the campus master plan. This link contains 30 slides. Highlights include an overview of the project, goals of the project and tells what the plan will and will not do

8 Focus Group Notes (thowell651).docx

This is the hear of my paper. This is the remarks of everyone who participated in the walking

campus surveys.

9 howell campus master plan.docx

10 H:\building stats.xlsx

This is where I got my building square footages from

11 H:\campus parking.jpg