Minoru Yamasaki's McGregor Conference Center at Wayne State University was widely acknowledged as one of the architect's finest achievements. This drew admirers from afar to come see it in person, including Christiane Joost-Gaugier, now chair of WSU's art and art history department, who made the trip to Detroit to it in the 1970's when she was a student at Harvard.
When Joost-Gaugier returned to Detroit a year ago, this time as a professor, she was appalled to see the complex, which includes two buildings, reflecting ponds and gardens, in a state of disrepair. While the buildings are still in use, the ponds have long been drained of water. "For (Yamasaki), he was intersted in buildings and their exterior elements -- like water and gardens -- being incorporated into the structure," she says. "Without the exterior elements, a lot is lost."
Thus motivated, Joost-Gaugier recruited a team of experts to assess the project and strategize on how to restore Yamasaki's original work. "Professors from many different fields are collaborating together, and that's exactly what a university is for," she says. "We have engineers, biologists, design people, ceramics people, art people, photographers, all collaborating and working together." The team also includes professionals from outside WSU, including a preservation architecture specialist from University of Detroit Mercy and an archivist librarian.
Joost-Gaugier and her cohorts hope that by working together, they can keep overall costs down. An estimate made a few years ago for the rehab of one of the buildings came out to over $2 million.
After raising funds, there is demolition work before construction can begin. The end goal, says Joost-Gaugier, is a "very beautifully restored centerpiece for the campus, and for Detroit as well."
Source: Christiane Joost-Gaugier, WSU
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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