U. confirms plan to tear down Stouffer

The decision angered some residents when it was suggested last fall. Despite the protests of many of the 130 Stouffer College House residents, Executive Vice President John Fry said yesterday that the University will still demolish the building as part of its massive dormitory and dining facility overhaul. The scheduled 2001 destruction of the Stouffer Triangle -- which also houses a dining hall and several popular retail establishments, including Wawa, Steve & Barry's University Sportswear and the SaladWorks CafZ -- was released in November as part of a 10-year, $300 million plan to renovate all of Penn's dorms and dining halls. The decision to remove the Stouffer Triangle from the corner of 38th and Spruce streets immediately met with opposition from Stouffer residents concerned about the fate of their college house. But yesterday Fry said that the University "fully intend[s] to demolish it." "The facility just doesn't do a whole lot for the campus aesthetically and functionally," he said, adding that Stouffer "seals off the views" of the "magnificent" Quadrangle. Where Stouffer now stands, officials plan to build a dining-only facility which will be transparent to allow better views of the Quad from the street. Fry added that he hopes to include space for retail on its ground floor in an attempt to put "as much retail presence on the streets as possible." The plans call for Stouffer to be demolished in 2001, with the new dining hall slated for completion in 2003. The original plans also call for new housing, which will contain about 1,000 beds, to be completed in 2001 in Hamilton Village. Penn officials expect two or more new residential structures to be built in the former Superblock, which will serve as swing space while each of the three high rises undergo consecutive 15-month renovations. Residents of Stouffer, which was built in 1972, have said they feel a special bond to the house and its tight-knit community. Legal Studies Professor Phil Nichols, Stouffer's faculty master, said that it is "unfortunate that so many people focus on the destruction of the building rather than the continuity of the [Stouffer] community." And Stouffer resident Jeffrey Hill said he is concerned that the University is destroying the house "without any clear intention of building a college house like it." The College sophomore said that he hopes the new housing in Hamilton Village has the same "spirit" as Stouffer, instead of being "another anthill dorm." Though Stouffer residents have met with housing officials to discuss the plan and their opposition to it, Hill said that the students had no real voice in determining the fate of their house. Instead, he said the meetings gave him the impression that the only input students would have is "whether to use nitro or TNT" to destroy it. But Stouffer Graduate Associate Nathan Smith, a fourth-year Education doctoral student, said that while he was "very upset" at the initial announcement of the demolition, he is "optimistic" about the possibilities for improved facilities in the new housing. The current Stouffer facility is a "really great building," Nichols said, but he has been "assured" that students will be involved in the design process for the new college house or houses. Officials announced last year that each construction project will have a program committee consisting of students, faculty and staff members. The committees will consult with the architectural firms and Penn officials responsible for planning the renovations in each building.