The current demolition of the houses on Maplewood is not Bradley University's first incursion into the neighborhood. When my family moved to the avenue in 1964, there were houses across the street on the east side of the800 block of Maplewood.
Sometime—I think in the late 1960’s—some of these houses were razed to make way for a parking lot. I thought this was a splendid upgrade of the neighborhood, as it was a wonderful place to ride my bike.
Besides biking, the other prominent memory I have of the parking lot is of a day when I was about 8 years old. A friend and I were walking home from St. Mark’s school when a scary- looking man approached us. He told us that our parents wanted him to take us to the wiener roast at Bradley Park. Au contraire, our parents had warned us never to go off with strangers. School had reinforced this message by showing films warning us that children who were lured by men with candy could be killed. I remember after one such film, there were several blank seconds at the end. The law enforcement official in charge told us that originally there had been pictures of the dead girls’ bodies, but, sensitive souls that they were, they didn’t want to show them to us children. Message noted; traumatic memory/scar received.
Anyway, I was an earnest child and I stood in the parking lot listening to the man’s pitch until I figured out he was up to no good. I wailed, “Noooooo,” and got my legs in motion, only to see my friend’s back 20 yards away. Possessed of better instincts, she had not stayed to hear the guy out.
The parking lot had a short-lived presence in the neighborhood as it was replaced by Haussler Hall in 1975. With its Olympic size pool, basketball courts, racquetball courts, weight rooms and other athletic amenities, Haussler was big time, though the ugly brown building wouldn’t win any design awards.
Ten years before this as a 5-year-old, I had taken swimming lessons at Bradley’s pool in Hewitt Hall, now the Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts. This pool was derisively named “the bathtub” because it was so small. It may have been small, but to a 5-year-old, it was deep with the shallowest end being, I think, five feet. I clung like grim death to the side of the pool during the lessons given by Bradley swim coach Jim Spink. Somehow, despite my fear, the magic of learning occurred, and by the end of the session, I could swim.
Hewitt Hall was built in 1908 and lives on as home to Bradley’s theatre department. Haussler Hall is being knocked down after only being around only 32 years, which incidentally, is how long my family lived at 841 N. Maplewood. Doesn’t 32 years seem an awful short period of time for the existence of a building? Do you think that the structures that are being built on Maplewood—parking deck, athletic arena, student recreation center—will be around nearly as long as the houses they are replacing?
I’d like to be objective about this. I want Bradley to do well, though we might be able to have an interesting conversation about the definition of well. And I wouldn’t be blogging about this topic if it weren’t my childhood home being knocked down. As my husband John and I were leaving the house a few days ago, I said to him of its imminent destruction, “I guess this is just the way of the world,” and he replied, “At least in the United States.”
Sometime—I think in the late 1960’s—some of these houses were razed to make way for a parking lot. I thought this was a splendid upgrade of the neighborhood, as it was a wonderful place to ride my bike.
Besides biking, the other prominent memory I have of the parking lot is of a day when I was about 8 years old. A friend and I were walking home from St. Mark’s school when a scary- looking man approached us. He told us that our parents wanted him to take us to the wiener roast at Bradley Park. Au contraire, our parents had warned us never to go off with strangers. School had reinforced this message by showing films warning us that children who were lured by men with candy could be killed. I remember after one such film, there were several blank seconds at the end. The law enforcement official in charge told us that originally there had been pictures of the dead girls’ bodies, but, sensitive souls that they were, they didn’t want to show them to us children. Message noted; traumatic memory/scar received.
Anyway, I was an earnest child and I stood in the parking lot listening to the man’s pitch until I figured out he was up to no good. I wailed, “Noooooo,” and got my legs in motion, only to see my friend’s back 20 yards away. Possessed of better instincts, she had not stayed to hear the guy out.
The parking lot had a short-lived presence in the neighborhood as it was replaced by Haussler Hall in 1975. With its Olympic size pool, basketball courts, racquetball courts, weight rooms and other athletic amenities, Haussler was big time, though the ugly brown building wouldn’t win any design awards.
Ten years before this as a 5-year-old, I had taken swimming lessons at Bradley’s pool in Hewitt Hall, now the Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts. This pool was derisively named “the bathtub” because it was so small. It may have been small, but to a 5-year-old, it was deep with the shallowest end being, I think, five feet. I clung like grim death to the side of the pool during the lessons given by Bradley swim coach Jim Spink. Somehow, despite my fear, the magic of learning occurred, and by the end of the session, I could swim.
Hewitt Hall was built in 1908 and lives on as home to Bradley’s theatre department. Haussler Hall is being knocked down after only being around only 32 years, which incidentally, is how long my family lived at 841 N. Maplewood. Doesn’t 32 years seem an awful short period of time for the existence of a building? Do you think that the structures that are being built on Maplewood—parking deck, athletic arena, student recreation center—will be around nearly as long as the houses they are replacing?
I’d like to be objective about this. I want Bradley to do well, though we might be able to have an interesting conversation about the definition of well. And I wouldn’t be blogging about this topic if it weren’t my childhood home being knocked down. As my husband John and I were leaving the house a few days ago, I said to him of its imminent destruction, “I guess this is just the way of the world,” and he replied, “At least in the United States.”
The picture above is the view from 841 N. Maplewood of Haussler Hall, which is being knocked down after a mere 32 years of existence.
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