Today’s New York Sun features a lengthy article on the Clark expansion, including a nice slide show of the new Stone Hill Center. 

Meanwhile, North Adams is keeping up with the neighbors, creating a new art map highlighting various galleries and artist residences around town, and putting the finishing touches on the massive new Sol LeWitt exhibit at MassMoca. 

Lots of cool construction updates from on campus and beyond:

First, check out these new drawings of the renovated Stetson, which looks absolutely bad-ass.

Second, the North and South Academic buildings are nearing completion. While it is difficult to judge without seeing them in person, based on these photos I’d group them with the new Science center and Tunnel City building in the inarguable success category on the scale of recent campus construction (as opposed to the open-to-debate [mainly due to context, not the buildings themselves] new theater and Paresky center, or the what-were-they-thinking studio art building.

Third, the new Stone Hill Center is about to open at the Clark. I would love to see more photos, but the few I have seen look great.

Fourth, the Cable Mills project on Water Street is back on track. Turning this vacant building into that much housing should really revitalize and energize Water Street, and help turn it into a second destination street to complement Spring Street.

KERA’s (Dallas)  Krys Boyd recently interviewed tropical field biologist Meg Lowman ’76 on Boyd’s always fascinating “Think” program.

http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/77/510036/91173599/KERA_91173599.mp3

The interview ranges over a variety of topics, from Lowman’s creation of the first tree canopy walks (she was the force behind the one in Hopkins Memorial Forest), being an international field biologist, teaching (she is a professor at New College of Florida, where she teaches undergraduates), life as the single mother of two boys while working in the field, and women in science. More than anything, I was struck by how much her identity as a parent shapes her worldview and values. She and her sons (who are now in their early twenties, and destined for scientific careers of their own) have collaborated in writing about life growing up in a field scientist’s family.

Those of you who are at Williams for reunions can try out a canopy walk for yourselves tomorrow (assuming the rain stops):

Sat., 1:30 - 5 p.m.  Hopkins Forest: Visit the Treetops on the Canopy Walkway

The walkway is a pair of tree platforms set 70 ft. above the ground and originally used for research. Platforms are linked by a cable bridge and accessed via a wooden ladder. Participants are harnessed to safety cables, and aided by guides. Space limited; long waits possible; first come, first served; no children under 12.

(It’s safe, but a challenge if you have height anxieties. Even if you don’t ascend, it’s worth walking over to HMF just to look at the structure. There will be an open house in the forest at the same time, so you could stop in at HMF headquarters and see the museum of farm implements, buy some homemade maple syrup, and view some of the other exhibits. And if you are outdoorsy, don’t miss the bird walk and the hike, both of which are also on the main reunion schedule.)

Listening to the interview or seeing the canopy walk might interest you in reading Meg’s books for the layperson:

Life in the Treetops: Adventures of a Woman in Field Biology by Margaret D. Lowman (2000)

and

It’s a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops by Margaret D. Lowman, James Burgess, Edward Burgess, and Ghillean T. Prance (2006) (written with her sons)

Lowman has a website, canopymeg.com. Officialy, her title is Margaret D. Lowman, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies and Director of Environmental Initiatives, New College of Florida, but, if one just adds “Mom,” the subtitle of her website encapsulates it rather nicely: “Author, Adventurer, Tropical Rain Forest Canopy Biologist.”  She is very much a proud product of  the  Williams Center for Environmental Studies, and the College has celebrated her accomplishments by honoring her with a Bicentennial Medal.

on Spring Street, coming soon, according to local real estate mogul Mark Paresky (whose name should sound familiar). The good news:

He said he sees his plans as only one part of a Spring Street “resurgence,” evidenced so far by the thoroughfare’s expanded parking lot and the proposed rebuilding of the Images Cinema storefront entrance.

The latest planned improvement to Spring Street would move Zanna’s, a high-end locally owned women’s clothing store, from its current spot at 41 Spring St. to a renovated retail space in the former George Hopkins building at 61 Spring St.

As for the half-retail, half-residential structure Zanna’s occupies currently, Paresky said, “We plan to plan to replace those buildings with new commercial and residential buildings that reflect the character and tradition of Spring street while looking to the future.”

He is also still in the contemplation phase, he said, about
what to do with the property he owns between Zanna’s and the Hopkins building, which housed three restaurants before its interior burned in a fire in March 2007. Paresky said he plans to demolish that building, but it will remain as is until at least the autumn.
Eventually, however, Paresky said, “We’ll make Spring Street a destination for anyone visiting the Berkshires, Southern Vermont and neighboring New York.”

Engineers from Guntlow and Associates submitted plans last week at Town Hall that propose a renovation and expansion of the Hopkins building.

In addition to Zanna’s, the re-vamped structure would likely house a Subway franchise and the Purple Pub, which had occupied part of the building that burned last year. Professional offices would continue to occupy the building’s second floor.

The bad news (at least in the short run, in the long run, sounds like a HUGE improvement):

Some residents had hoped the Purple Pub might open by summer’s end, but the popular bar and restaurant will likely not re-open in its new location for many more months. Plans show that engineers will need to secure five special permits and two variances and one waiver from the Zoning Board of Appeals, along with seven other various town permits before proceeding.

The special permits would allow contractors to expand certain parts of the building and the parking lot. According to the plans, the first-floor pub would have 76 seats at 19 tables and 12 seats along a bar. The fast-food restaurant would seat 32 customers at eight tables. Paresky said the building should contain changing rooms and showers for those interested in bicycling to work, and may feature other attributes designed to promote concern for a healthy environment.

This link is a blog write up of last night’s events at Wesleyan. More coverage in other Wesleying posts.

Other coverage is here and here.

If you want to picture the scene, think a typical packed Fountain party on a misty night. Line the entire street with MPD cars. Both sides of the street were flanked with curious/bewildered students with digicams and camera phones, and right in front of the first MPD car in the middle of the road is basically a clusterf*** of maybe 50-100 people. It’s this cluster that’s doing most of the chanting/singing/clapping.

About five minutes later, the police formed a line and started moving forward with their dogs and firing their paintball guns. A canister of tear/pepper gas was fired into the air. At this point it was pure chaos–One person made a run for it and was promptly brought to the ground by five MPDs. Picture people screaming at the police, students physically restraining other students, and one of the arrested kids kicking a patrol car’s door so hard that it bent the frame from the inside and nearly knocked out the window. MPD began menacingly shining the laser guides of their tasers at people. Five students were apprehended for various reasons (I saw at least one running). Of these, two were tasered, and at least three were viciously attacked by the dogs. Many people suffered from the pepper gas because the wind blew it across the crowd, towards Church Street. There was a lot of coughing and people covering their noses and mouths with their shirts. At some point, maybe out of spite, someone went into a house and turned up the music even louder. Students began asking for badge numbers and for reasons for the police presence and why their friends had gotten arrested.

Thought folks might be interested in another chapter in the Purple Pub story. Mary now thinks it will be open again for this fall!

This article from the April 9th Record provides some more details. I love how they highlight Mary’s connection with the students at the end. This is why the Pub has never been just another bar, but a part of the Williams community.

The Purple Pub will return to Spring Street at the end of the summer behind the George Hopkins building, according to the Pub’s owner, Mary Michel. While hoping to bring “a lot of the old pub into the new pub,” she is excited about the Pub’s new location, noting that it will “look out onto Spring Street for the first time.”
. . .
The new pub was originally going to have two floors but will now have only one, as the upper floor of the new building will house offices instead.
. . .
Michel has been working at a small home-based retail business, and also took on a job at Whitmans’ this February, where she hopes to continue working even after the Pub reopens. Out of all the difficulties due to the Pub’s closure, Michel said that the largest is “the time lost with the students,” which contributed to her motivation to work on campus.

Once the Pub reopens, Michel is hoping to regain support in the community. She has remained in touch with her staff, all of whom intend to resume working at the Pub. She also plans to serve dinner at the new Pub. Though the relocating and rebuilding may have taken longer than expected, Michel said she hopes the saying “when you build it, they will come” will hold true and that the Pub will once again become an important part of Spring Street.

Yesterday’s North Adams Transcript ran an article with an update on the Pub reopening and the former home of Subway et. al.  Last I read, the Pub was all set to reopen in January, now it has been pushed back to the start of next school year, anyone know the cause of the delay (the Transcript really should have provided insight into this …)?  With Goodrich, the Pub, and the Log (I believe) all out of commission, that really limits the social options for upperclassmen … three amazing venues, in particular the Log, which really deserves better. 

I’d love to see photos of the interior of the new Pub if someone can gain access … Diana, planning a return trip to campus anytime soon?

Regarding the former Subway building, I can’t imagine why that building wouldn’t be demolished and replaced with something (a) with a second story providing additional housing / office space and (b) far more attractive (even before the fire, it was an eyesore).  The building offers neither historic, aesthetic, nor pragmatic value as currently designed. 

If that does happen, I hope the architects follow the lead of the very attractive and interesting (yet still site-appropriate) building that houses Tunnel City rather than the ugly, boring, strip-mall-esque design of the Spice Root / Thai Garden building …

For readers pining for a break from reading about vomit, here is some happier alcohol related news: the purple pub is reopening soon (according to the article, they are shooting for some time after the New Year). Sounds great: more space, expanded menu (always great to have additional affordable food options on Spring Street, and the Pub made a mean burger), but similar decor / tavern feeling. Hopefully they utilize enough of the old pub memorabilia to insure that the new digs are recognizable for nostalgic alums. I’d love to see pictures of the new space once is gets closer to completion.

And for those alums who spent, ummm, a few too many hours at the pub during their undergraduate years (I know you’re out there), you may want to drop by a football game this fall, where the old pub furniture will be available for purchase:

“The Purple Pub’s old grill, slicer, tables, chairs and stools will be among the items sold in November’s yard sale. She said she is trying to coordinate the day of the sale with weekend football games at Williams College, but wants to sell the equipment before the first snow.”

… A once-in-a-lifetime chance to relive hours of procrastination in your very own home mini-pub.

The Williamstown Theater Festival gets some positive coverage in Entertainment Weekly online.