NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY VISITOR CENTER Application for Appeal of Evanston Preservation Commission Decision Denying Certificate of Appropriateness

Northwestern UniversityOctober 22, 2012

SOUTHEAST CAMPUS

Visitor Center

Sailing Center

Music Building & Arts Green

VISITOR CENTER VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST

VISITOR CENTER VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST

ZONING: • “By right” development; meets all

zoning requirements including height and setbacks

• Zoning review and approval by City of Evanston

SITE DEVELOPMENT• No filling of any floodplain or water

areas• IDNR approval received• IHPA approval received• Evanston SPAARC approval received• IEPA review of construction activity to

be completedBUILDING DESIGN ELEMENTS• Bird-friendly glass and landscape• Lights, other than emergency egress

lighting, will be on occupancy sensors

VISITOR CENTER FACTS

VISITOR CENTER SITE PLAN

• Visitor Center was required to be reviewed by the Preservation Commission pursuant to the City of Evanston Code, Chapter 8: – Section 2-8-2 - a Landmark is

“[a] . . .property, structure, site or object designated as a ‘landmark’ by the Council that has a high degree of historic, cultural, architectural or archaeological significance to the City of Evanston. For purposes of this Chapter and unless otherwise expressly provided by Council in the ordinance for designation, all designations shall presumptively include the lot(s) of record associated with the structure or object designated as a landmark. ”

PRESERVATION ORDINANCEAPPLICABILITY

• The new Visitor Center straddles 2 lots of record. The lot of record to the east (84 acres created by land fill in the 1960s) does not contain any landmarks. However, the lot of record to the west (158 acres) is a lot of record containing 12 Evanston landmark buildings.

• The lot of record under the west portion of the Visitor Center includes 58 buildings, including both the oldest (University Hall, 1869) and newest (Silverman Hall, 2009).

VISITOR CENTER LOT OF RECORD

VISITOR CENTER LOCATION STRADDLES 2 LOTS OF RECORD

• We requested the Commission evaluate the project’s Lots of Record as context for Certificate of Appropriateness. The Ordinance clearly identifies the lot(s) of record associated with the structure or object designated as a landmark.

• The commission chose to only evaluate the Visitor Center in context to one building, vs. the other 11 landmark structures and 58 buildings that serve as context for the Visitor Center.

ORDINANCE INTERPRETATION

• The campus architecture from the earliest foundation of the University has reflected an organic growth. The early buildings were of no consistent style and reflected the architectural trends of the time in which they were built. No one architectural style dominated the early

• The campus is a dynamic, evolving institution of higher education and the building design reflects that evolving growth and search for excellence.

CAMPUS ARCHITECTURE AS CONTEXT

• The Northwestern University campus is an ensemble of buildings created throughout the 160 year history to reflect the age in which they were created. As a major research institution of higher education, it is the essential character of the university to look forward in the design of new buildings, incorporating the latest technological advances and architectural design and to not serve simply as a mirror to the past. We also have an obligation to acknowledge and respect the past through our continued preservation of our landmark buildings and through the use of materials and scale on which the campus has been built

CAMPUS ARCHITECTURE AS CONTEXT

• Height. “Height shall be visually compatible with properties, structures, sites, public ways, objects and places to which it is visibly related.”

• Response:• The height of the new Visitor

Center is compatible with the height of the campus buildings to which it is visibly related. The surrounding campus has buildings of various heights, however, the predominate heights are within the 65-85 ft range.

RESPONSE TO COMMISSION COMMENTS – HEIGHT

VISITOR CENTER HEIGHT

• Scale of a structure. “The size and mass of structures in relation to open spaces, windows, door openings, porches and balconies shall be visually compatible with the properties, structures, sites, public ways, objects and places to which they are visually related.”

•  Response:•  The size and mass of the

Visitor’s Center is similar to other buildings on campus and the relationship to open space between buildings is similar to other buildings on campus.

RESPONSE TO COMMISSION COMMENTS – SCALE

Sheridan Rd. Lot of Record Looking North

Sheridan Rd. Lot of Record Looking East

LANDMARK LOT OF RECORDCONTEXT BUILDING SCALE

CLOSING • IN CLOSING, We firmly believe that the Visitor’s Center project as proposed to the Preservation Commission satisfies all of the standards for a Certificate of Appropriateness, and is consistent with the fabric of the campus, and existing relationships between landmarked buildings and other buildings.

QUESTIONS