memhawk (anonymous) says...

"donor sweets" being added?

Is that like an "honor bar/mini bar" or what? M & Ms will be 500.00 a bag!

June 24, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

OakvilleJHawk (anonymous) says...

As an architectural graduate of KU, these " improvements" leave me speechless!!

June 30, 2009 at noon ( permalink | suggest removal )

sdoyel (anonymous) says...

Me too. As in bad architecture.... :)

July 1, 2009 at 12:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

memhawk (anonymous) says...

OakvilleJJawk-

I totally agree, the integrity of this iconic building has just been compromised. At least when they added the Booth Family Hall to the entrance of the building, care was taken to make it blend in to the lines and texture without creating an eyesore.

The State of Kansas should be ashamed to have these "improvements" paid for at a state institution on a building with such history and importance.

July 3, 2009 at 5:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

kansasbasketball (anonymous) says...

are they supposed to have all this work done by the time basketball season starts?

July 3, 2009 at 5:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jayhawkinmullen (anonymous) says...

It's all about the almighty dollar. And as a Capitalist it's all good. Keep bringing in the dough baby.

July 3, 2009 at 7:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

RockChalkGuy (anonymous) says...

I'm an architectural idiot. Please explain to me what's so obviously wrong with the "improvements". At present, all I can seen is iron and some stone work. Isn't it a little hard to tell what the final appearance will be from these pics?

July 8, 2009 at 7:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

onlyoneUinKansas (anonymous) says...

Its awesome-obviously no vision from the "architects" on this board.

July 29, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

This addition appears a horrendous disfiguring of AFH by any architectural aesthetics one might choose to evaluate it with.

I realize these sorts of contracts have to be let to cronies in a project like this, but, my god, what has happened to the level of cronies' taste and and to their respect for KU basketball in the state of Kansas?

What crony would dare to show his face at any country club in Kansas, any bankers luncheon, any conference of builders/contractors, after doing fecal-work like this?

Cronies used to be guys named Bill and Art and Willis, guys in white shirts with decent ties and occassional suspenders, guys with paunches, guys that made their money sucking part time at the public trough and working the 19th Hole at the country club, cronies used to have envelopes of money hand delivered to city councilmen to get the right thing done, they used to know who ran the stills in southeast Kansas, they used to know which congressman and Senator to grease to get a proper wheat subsidy, they used to drive gharish Caddies and Lincolns, and they loved their Mark Twains, and IMPs, and Chris Crafts, they used to have very little taste in their own lives, they used to cheat on their wives with mistresses they kept in boats down in Miami Beach, they used to run businesses that spent most of their times doing things the right way even though they had to cheat to get the contracts, they used to suck up to the newspaper cabal that ran the state, and they used to go to church for the sake of appearances, and when things had to be done at KU, especially anything related to basketball, they made sure it got done right, because, well, because, fecal fire, it was Kansas basketball, it was something you could hold your head high about when you went to Oklahoma City, or Lincoln, on bidness and had to put up with those Okie and Nebraska blowhards yellin' "Boomer Sooner" and "Go Big Red" about football. KU basketball added a little class to the state. It made ya proud to say you were from Kansas. You built the arena bigger and better than it needed to be, because, well, fecal fire, it was Kansas basketball.

August 3, 2009 at 3:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

What happened to all the cronies? The cronies my dad used to talk about would never have let something like this happen. There would have been a few polite conversations out front of the church, a couple conversations on the 19th Hole, a couple IOUs collected, a couple phone calls to cousins, a couple of meetings with the boys over at the Masonic lodge, and this monstrosity of an addition never would have happened!

The old lard assed cronies, the middle aged guys who sweated too much in August even with their sleeves rolled up, the guys who used to bang the bimbos when the wives took the kids to see the in-laws in Colorado Springs, the guys who used to do business over a handshake and a Kansas City Strip sirloin and some 3.2 beer...where are the cronies when we need them?

We have some reputedly fine architects over in the School of Architecture, but these fellas have too many reputations and too much campus politics at stake to worry about to go through the back channel and do what has to be done to prevent this sort of disfigurement of Allen Field House. Oh, they will have their opinions pro and con, but in the final analysis they are just teachers.

Where are the cronies who lacked so much personal style and class that they aspired to make KU and KU basketball have what they lacked?

What happened to the cronies who once looked out for KU?

What good are cronies if they won't do the right thing for KU?

Cronies hear this: if you can't stop something like this from happening at KU, then you don't deserve the handouts and political gimmes that you are getting. If you can't stop something like this from happening to KU basketball, well, then it is time for another populist movement to sweep the hole lot of you out and bring in some new cronies who will do right by KU basketball.

August 3, 2009 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

heterohilfiger (anonymous) says...

seriously, why are we settling for the lowest common denominator? especially with changes/additions to a historic building. These people making the decisions should be held accountable.
I heard from some KU architecture grads that the additions to the football stadium were pretty poor as well. At least that wasnt messing with an existing historical building like AFH. Maybe put the Architecture students to work next time. Dan Rockhill and Studio 804 could step it up a few notches while keeping costs low and showcasing new techniques in energy efficient architecture. I wish KU took this all into consideration...

and if you dont know:
http://www.studio804.com/projects/sus...

August 19, 2009 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

heterohilfiger (anonymous) says...

whoops, try that link again:

http://www.studio804.com/projects/sus...

August 19, 2009 at 4:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

heterohilfiger (anonymous) says...

i give up... just google it.

August 19, 2009 at 4:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

RockChalkGuy says, "I'm an architectural idiot. Please explain to me what's so obviously wrong with the "improvements". At present, all I can seen is iron and some stone work. Isn't it a little hard to tell what the final appearance will be from these pics?"

The pictures show a rather limited view of the addition, and it sounds like some of the people commenting are on campus with a full view of what is happening. Some "flaws" may appear less significant once the addition is skinned. Keep in mind tho, I've got such an eye for aesthetics that I switched from Arch to Eng, and the dig holes in the dirt kind at that. That being said, here's my $0.02.

I think memhawk hit the nail on the head from what I can see when he said, "blend in to the lines". The fieldhouse is a very regular, symmetric building, both in its overall shape as well as features like the banks of windows, so it is important that the new building relate to the symmetry and linearity of the exisiting building.

Notice the picture of Parrot, the one with the "danger" sign partially showing. See how the lines of the heavy, dark upper story appears to line up with the rows of windows in Allen. It is difficult to tell for certain if this is the case due to perspective, but it appears that some thought was given to connecting the lines of the historical building with the obviously newer building.

Contrast that with way this latest addition seems to protrude out of the side of Allen like a knife in the head of some cheap B movie victim. Again, the finish may change that appearance, but I' skeptical.

Notice also how Parrot is attached by slightly tucking it inside the corner of Allen. There is no futile attempt to fool the viewer into thinking the 2 bldgs are actually one, and yet by anchoring the new bldg at the corner of the existing building, the symmetry is honored. Again, the B movie analogy seems appropriate relative to this latest addition.

This is not to say that Parrot is a marvel of architecture. It was an eye sore attachment when it was first built (IMO), tho the changes to the facade seem to have improved that at least to some extent. Hope that helps, but realize that I are an enginerd.

Rock Chalk

September 10, 2009 at 2:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

brian1981 (anonymous) says...

Not only have the detractors probably not seen the Fieldhouse up close recently, but I'm guessing they are falling into the old "criticize everything possible to sound like a snobby expert" trap.

Compared to the front facade that was altered a few years ago, most of the exterior changes are barely visible from Naismith Drive. Those of us who have actually been by the Fieldhouse to look at it know that by far the biggest exterior changes are on the south end which weren't even featured in the above pictures that apparently evoked so much mock outrage.

Having seen it up close, I am of the opinion that the lines of Allen Fieldhouse were damaged much more severely several years ago by the Booth Hall of Athletics than anything in these pictures.

September 21, 2009 at 10:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )