Best of CASE District V Award
 

Institution: University of Wisconsin Madison

Title of entry: How the Humanities Building Went Wrong

About this entry: The maze-like Humanities Building is a much-hated structure on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. But in “How the Humanities Building Went Wrong,” Preston Schmitt uncovers an extraordinary history. The 1969 building began as an ambitious project by one of America’s most innovative architects, Harry Weese, whose daring concept typified a hopeful period of history and architecture. Schmitt explores the budgetary and artistic compromises that doomed Weese’s vision and turned a would-be masterpiece into a campus punch line. While acknowledging the missteps, Schmitt also illuminates the flourishes that make the Humanities Building “a gigantic work of art.” A sidebar has fun with the myths that have cropped up around the building, including a theory that it was built upside-down. “How the Humanities Building Went Wrong” touched a nerve, becoming On Wisconsin’s most-viewed story online in 2021. Social media posts generated extraordinary engagement from generations of former students who took classes in the building, and the magazine also received an outpouring of letters from alumni. One reader wrote on Twitter: “Fantastic piece by @pdschmitt1 about the very polarizing Humanities Building in @OnWisMag. I was never a big fan, but this article had me wondering what could have been, and wishing renovations were more feasible.” The story inspired the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison’s leading daily newspaper, to do its own report, which referenced and linked to the On Wisconsin article. It also inspired community presentations by the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation and Badger Talks Live.