The Architecture of LSU

Book excerpt: The core of the LSU campus is an example of what we can do when we set our sights high. It stands out today as one of the most successful and inspiring examples in the state, one meant by its architect to become an intuitive course in architecture for the students, spreading the influence of its ideals and inspirations across the highlands and lowlands of Louisiana. from The Architecture of LSU When viewed from the technical vantage point of an architect, the discerning eye of an artist, or sociocultural perspective of a historian, the remarkable buildings of Louisiana State University reveal not only a legacy that goes back to the Renaissance, but also a primer of architectural principles that guided the creation of one of the most distinctive academic environments in the United States. Author, professor, and architect J. Michael Desmond traces the university s development from its origins in Pineville, Louisiana, before the Civil War, through its two downtown Baton Rouge locations, to its move to the Williams Gartness Plantation south of the city in the 1920s. The layout of the present campus began with the picturesque vision of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The German-born architect Theodore Link developed and reinterpreted the Olmsted campus plan, producing designs for fourteen of the nineteen core campus buildings. After his untimely death in 1923, the New Orleans firm of Wogan & Bernard completed the buildings in Link s masterplan, which in their formal symmetry and fine classical details reflect the influence of sixteenth-century architect Andrea Palladio. Explosive growth during the 1930s and the impact of the automobile demanded an expansion beyond the campus core. The firm of Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth took over as campus architects in 1932, and Baton Rouge landscaper Steele Burden oversaw the live oak plantings for which the LSU campus is now renowned. The essential structure of the campus and its landscape was in place by the time the United States entered World War II. The Architecture of LSU includes a wealth of photographs, plans, drawings, and maps that underscore the contributions of key historical figures and the genealogies of the campus s architecture and planning. By meticulously tracing the origins and evolution of LSU s architectural core and exploring the wider scope of American college campus design, Desmond shows the far-reaching rewards of public environments that integrate natural and constructed elements to meet both practical and aesthetic goals.