Blue kiosk draws attention

When safety and the University clash, the University has a secret weapon -- a paintbrush. The security kiosk located at 36th and Sansom streets, which was recently transformed into a blue structure with a tin roof, is an example of this. Originally, the five kiosks set up around campus were all wooden and shingled. But soon a Design Review Committee and Vice President for Facilities Management Arthur Gravina assessed the kiosks. They decided that there was a need to alter the appearance of the one at 36th and Sansom, according to Security Service Director Christopher Algard. "It did not meet the aesthetics of the surrounding buildings," he said. "The building style of the surrounding area is different than the Locust Walk area." And the closest neighbor of the kiosk, the Institute of Contemporary Art, agreed that the original design did not belong in the environment. "It would have been more suitable to a garden setting than a West Philadelphia street-scape," ICA Director Patrick Murphy said. But he said he was not involved in the decision to change the kiosk, adding that the whole situation has been a mystery to him. Diane Wynne, a recent graduate of the Graduate School of Education, was not as supportive of the changes, calling the blue kiosk "just plain ugly." "I do not know what possessed them to paint it blue and put that shiny roof on," she said on the upenn.safety newsgroup last month. College senior Matthew Ro disagrees. "This is a perfect example or art in everyday life, sort of the Mona Lisa of kiosks." University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said there are no plans to change any of the other kiosks. Summer Pennsylvanian Staff Writer Josh Fineman contributed to this article.

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