I agree that there is no way to save the east and west decks and build a great stadium around it. How much further are the first row of seats in the first decks from the field than they need to be? How much louder would it be if the fans were that much closer to the sidelines?

The statement about the upper decks made earlier is true. There is no much overlap and the upper decks are too far away from the field.

In "new" Kyle Field the stands need to be steeper and closer to the field.



[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 4:17p).]

Anything that looks as seamless as Alabama's stadium would be perfect!

Also, the exterior of Florida States stadium looks awesome. I wish we had the architecture to match around campus!

Good news is that the outside of The Zone does match the rest of campus! Flat, boring, and beige.

I can't remember if it was Ray Bowen or Bob Gates who said the newer buildings on the A&M campus make it look like a Soviet tractor factory.

I agree.

It is unfortunate how many beautiful buildings on campus have been destroyed. I tried searching for some of FossilAgs old threads showing some of the old buildings, but was unable to find them. Hopefully someone else can pull them up.

Unfortunately Kyle Field really no longer resembles its former self. If we rebuild, I hope we try to incorporate some of the historic design elements (from Kyle or other buildings) into the new stadium.

My biggest complaint over the years has been the choice of using beige brick in all our designs. I really wish we would have used "maroon" colored bricks from the start. I know...too late now to change things.

http://www.campussqueeze.com/post/The-20-Ugliest-Colleges-in-the-USA.aspx

That link is blocked at work but i hope we are not on there?!

Isn't the first deck of the Zone the same angle as the East/West decks?
If so, then leave the first deck alone and continue it around the South. Raze the 2nd and 3rd decks of the East/West sides and continue the proportions of the Zone around.
Raze the crap that is the Reed Building and G-I'm-Ugly-Rollie and bring back the arches all the way around the exterior of Kyle.
Finally, install a new LED lit non-bevel block ATM on the new press box.
Design complete.

Some of the earlier buildings that were once on our campus...





















The Academic Building was constructed on the site where Old Main once stood.












[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 5:08p).]

I don't see why would have to destroy the 1927 part to build a new state of the art stadium.

Also if we do. Please make it look classic.

Enough with these architectural fads on campus. They look like they belong in Eastern Europe.

The color aerial photo show Law and Puryear looking brand new with no trees around them. Amazing.

It was a great dorm, I tell you...

pv,

There are some serious fundamental flaws with the first decks (both east and west).

The angle (not very steep) and position (too much extra space because of the track) of the east and west stands is a big enough reason to start over. In addition, the iconic north side horseshoe entrance with the arches and tunnels is already gone. I'm not sure there is much architecturally to save at this point.

Maybe they will use some of the historic arch design when they rebuild the east and west sides.












[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 5:26p).]

[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 1/31/2013 6:21p).]

When they destroyed the old north Kyle horseshoe and THE CENTRAL TUNNEL (Tradition)...it broke bop's heart.

Now you got a Home Depot facade and ah littl' electric scoreboard.

New Army.

What about the beige vinyl siding?

I can't remember if the vinyl siding is in this pic or around the corner on the west side...




[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 5:31p).]

A few things to remember about historic buildings...

Most of our old buildings that have been torn down had serious problems due to the unstable soil of the Brazos Valley. Look at the cracks in the Administration and Academic Buildings and you'll see what I mean. The first building on campus that really attempted to address the soil issue was the MSC, built in the late 40's.

Building new buildings in old styles is not the same as having the originals. Our construction companies no longer use the traditional methods and materials that they were built in. It's like building a Model T out of modern car plastic materials... it just looks ugly. And that's by and large what most pseudo-historic architecture looks like. It's best just to use the architecture of your own time as well as you can.

Lastly, some of these 70's buildings that everyone hates on our campus are actually going to look pretty good to our grandkids, if we don't destroy them. Architecture styles generally go through a three-phase process: first they're all the rage, then they look horrid and people can't imagine why were built, then they acquire a historic prestige that makes them venerable. Believe it or not, after eighty years of every type of classical architecture in universities across America, something like Rudder or Langford was exciting and refreshing. And although many of our 70's-80's buildings do call to mind East Berlin, in the best ones there is a crispness and functionality that will look very classy down the road. Evans seems hulking today, but just think... because of tablets and e-readers, we will never build mammoth libraries like that again, and someday people will gasp in amazement at our late-twentieth-century Goliaths of book holding.

hey pv...

TAMU campus and the monochrome/beige is butt-ugly and gets uglier with every building. That we have a world-class architecture school is beyond me.
And Swampfox is spot-on: the slope of the lower deck is too low. Whole lower deck needs to be redone.

Lol not structurally sound?

We have buildings still used today that are CENTURIES old but something built in the 80s is structurally unsound?

quote:

---

18. Texas A&M- There’s not much wrong this campus except for the lack of color. One poster said it’s essentially “BEIGE BEIGE everywhere…” I couldn’t agree more. And, um, “Aggieland”??? Not exactly an appealing phrase, is it? And on their website, they have an extremely strange lack of pictures of their buildings. Just keep adding fuel to my fire, Texas A&M. Knock yourselves out.

---

from my earlier link (with a pic of BioBio)

quote:

---

I thought Guion Hall was next to the MSC where Rudder Tower now stands. If it wasn't where Rudder Tower is why the hell did they tear it down? Obviously Guion Hall lined up with Military Walk, but you are saying that it was further back where the Koldus Building is now?

---

The way I remember it, Guion was not next to the MSC. It was where the Koldus Building is now. I have no idea why they tore it down.

As I look at that recent campus photo, it's possible that Guion was where they built Rudder. Maybe my memory is incorrect. There are a lot of streets that have disappeared in the last 40 years, so I may be wrong. Will someone find an old campus map so we can tell?

great pics Old Main

Guion hall looks like it's right by nagle

From what I can come up with, Old Main is correct. Guion was where the Rudder Tower now is. My apologies. I sure didn't remember it that way.

I think you could easily save the 1st decks on both sides which are the only truly historic part of the stadium left. Are the arches still on the east side behind the Read building? The biggest problem and the one that leads to limited overhang is that the upper structures don't (at least I think) utilize any common foundations. Each deck was built behind the previous ones, and that poses a real problem when trying to bring the upper decks closer to the action.

And sadly traditional buildings continue to fall. Dorms Moore and Moses (McInnis too) fell at the hand of the track hoe this summer.

Crocker not Moses.

More pictures of the old horseshoe for my personal collection, circa 1986 or so when the turf was being replaced.

i'm glad the retards on texags aren't in charge of any real decisions.

Midnight Yell in the horseshoe!

OldArmy71,

The reason I read Guion Hall was razed was to make room for Rudder Tower. Seems like such a waste to tear down a very strong building to make room for Rudder Tower. In my opinion they could have built Rudder Tower nearby and kept Guion Hall.

I also read that it took twice as long and twice as much money than was budgeted to tear down Guion Hall because it was so well constructed. What a waste!





[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 10:20p).]

I agree, OM. Could have put Rudder where Koldus is.

OldArmy71,

If I was in your class when they were tearing it down I would have really been pissed!





[This message has been edited by Old Main (edited 10/28/2011 10:23p).]

Those north central Kyle tunnel "bronze wall plaques" (left and right) have mysteriously disappeared, as well as the 1929 top central outer concrete facade with the name KYLE FIELD. (Note Bronze plaques fourth photo above.)

Thanks Wally & Billy !

(The pink granite Block "T" disappeared until some serious inquiries were made. It's now inside the North Zone where students are not permitted the freedom to get near it. That Block "T" was financed largely by student nickles and dimes in 1947-48. Betcha you don't know the inscription placed thereupon.)

Thanks again, Wally & Billy !

The mid 1990's myth the old North Zone (horseshoe) was structurally unsound was part of a propaganda campaign perpetrated to "sell the Zone" concept to focus groups around the state.

Thanks again...revisionists !

[This message has been edited by BeBopAg (edited 10/28/2011 10:48p).]

I remember being sad about it, OM, and I remember walking by it when it was in much the condition of that photo showing the demolition.

I have always had a sense of history and nostalgia--I distinctly remember thinking solemnly about the moment I took off my senior boots for the last time--but I was graduating, getting married, going off into the world.....

When we are young, we think things will always be frozen in time for us.

This is just a by-the-way comment not in any way meant as a comment on tearing down Guion, but I had several buddies who had classes therein, and they said it was very conducive to sleep rather than attentive note-taking.

In the memorable words of a once-upon-a-time candidate for Governor...

"If it's inevitable (rape) just lay back and try to enjoy it."

Our Classic campus architecture has been raped. Long live Home Depot !

whatever is done, don't make it look like the taco bell in austin...ridiculous.

AggieLady