Say goodbye to the Spanish benches.
Just two years after their controversial installation, the large wooden benches from Spain that once adorned the Main West Quadrangle have been removed by the University.
The four imported monoliths sparked criticism from students when they made their campus debut in January 2005. Some students voiced objections to their hefty price tag of $4,000 apiece, while others complained that administrators failed to seek student input on the decision to purchase the benches.
Ultimately, though, it was their appearance that led Executive Vice President Tallman Trask to order their removal.
"They're ugly and they're falling apart," Trask said, noting that large cracks have formed in the wood.
Student criticism also played a role in their departure, said Landscape Architect Mark Hough, whose office fielded numerous complaints from students on the style of the benches. "A lot of the comments were that they seemed out of place."
On the Main Quad, more traditional metal benches are taking the place of their imported predecessors to give West Campus a more consistent look, University officials said. The benches are decorated with a Duke insignia, and were designed with "a nod to the Gothic surroundings," Hough said.
The contemporary European flair of the Spanish benches contrasted with the more classical Gothic architecture of West Campus, which administrators said was an attempt to integrate the Main Quad with the architecture of the West Campus Plaza.
Residential Life and Housing Services installed the benches on the Main Quad both to provide more seating options for students and to determine whether they would eventually be an appropriate fit for the Plaza, said Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services.
Administrators decided not to move the benches to the Plaza because permanent furniture there would have given the space less flexibility.
It is unclear what will become of the Spanish benches, which were removed last month. Officials say the benches could find a new home on East Campus or Central Campus.
"We've talked about certain indiscreet places where the aesthetics are less important," Hough said.
Trask said he doubts the benches will be relocated. "I'm saving them for Elliott," he joked, referring to Duke Student Government President Elliott Wolf, a junior.
Wolf, when asked about the benches, said he had not yet been approached about them. "I'd be glad to come up with a plan to burn them if the administrators will let me," Wolf said.
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