Colloquium: Storrs at 25

Sophie Hassell (ID: 800905064)

On October 23, 2015 Storrs Hall turned twenty-five years old. Storrs Hall was built in 1990.
Thomas Storrs, a chairman and CEO of North Carolina Bank was honored with naming the building after
him. Although Thomas Storrs was not an architect, he was a banker, he was highly influential on the
University of North Carolina at Charlottes campus.
Architecture was not always at UNC Charlotte. The School of Architecture has humble
beginnings. The program first began in 1971 and was taught out of the basement of Atkins Library for
nineteen years. Finally, the School of Architecture received their own building in 1990, Storrs Hall. At the
time of Storrs Halls beginning, UNC Charlotte had only 14,000 enrolled students. This number burst,
gradually increasing each year and currently educating over 26,000 students.
Storrs Hall was designed for growth. When it was first built, the School of Architecture was
small, with little students and educators to fill the 88,000 square foot building. But that was the idea of the
architects from the FWA Group. Storrs Hall was designed for growth to occur within. It was known that
the architecture program would expand, thus the building was designed to hold such growth. In the
beginning, it took a while for those in Storrs Hall to figure out how to operate and behave within the
building. The long, large, and open salon was unused for ten years until a purpose was derived for it.
Interestingly, Storrs Hall was the first really wired building on campus. Computers would be entering the
education realm when Storrs Hall was being completed. UNC Charlotte did not understand how much
power was needed to keep Storrs Hall operating and eventually had to double the original amount.
Two architects of the FWA Group discussed the ideas and behind the scenes of the construction
of Storrs Hall. The two architects described the process behind developing many versions of a particular
building to show to the the decision makers. I though this was really interesting because there were many
designed, all of which looked very similar but each had its own unique distinctions. When discussing the
planning process of Storrs Hall, the two architects described how the entrances are different between
Robinson Hall and Storrs Hall. Each building has a unique entrance, Robinson Hall being very elaborate
while Storrs Hall is more tucked away. This reminded me of what we have discussed in class. In class we
looked at many homes and buildings where the entrance is hidden or a unique feature of the building. One
example of this is the Exeter Library in New Hampshire. This library has an interesting entrance in at the
corner of the building. Like Storrs Hall and Robinson Hall, the entrance is unique to the style of the
building and the message is it trying to convey. The two architects also discussed their newest project on
campus which is to design a building for the band. They shared multiple designs for the building and
discussed what they hoped to achieve upon completion.
For the rest of the event, the two architects discussed their former boss, Mr. Charles (Charlie)
Gwathmey (1938-2009). Charlie is most notably known for his addition to the Frank Lloyd Wrights
Guggenheim Museum in 1992. The two architects shared their fond memories of Charlie, each describe
what it was like to work along side with him and how each began their carrier at the architecture firm.
Agreed between the two architects was Charlies dedication to work. While social and fun on the outside,
Charlie was very organized and stern when it came to the projects. Charlie always made sure everything
was completed and done in a timely fashion. One of the stories shared was how Charlie would always be
the first one at work every morning, super early, and would leave later a night. He was a dedicated man
who loved being an architect and designing new and innovative buildings. The two architect employees of
Charlie shared their beloved memories, allowing a unique perspective and insight to the famous architect.
Their stories included humor and sadness, describing the life Charlie lived and how he treated those
around him.
Overall, Storrs Hall is rich in history and background. Although built twenty-five year ago at a
time when UNC Charlotte was not as large, the building has remained true to its ability to allow growth
within. Happy twenty-fifth Storrs Hall!