The College of Letters & Science is constructing a new academic building on the southwest corner of North Park Street and West Johnson Street called Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall to create a unified home for several L&S academic departments, programs, and centers that currently are spread across five facilities on campus. Construction is expected to begin in November 2023 with completion in 2026. Work will include the demolition of two residence halls: Susan B. Davis Hall and Zoe Bayliss Cooperative. It will not include demolition of the Indigenous Student Center (ISC) house at 215-217 N. Brooks Street.
Proposed development of block 16, where the ISC house is located, is detailed in the 2015 campus master plan. The master plan was developed as a roadmap of recommendations for the next 30+ years and is updated every 10 years. That plan shows the 215-217 N. Brooks Street building could be affected or removed in possible future phases of development. Before any project in the campus master plan can move forward, it must also be identified in the University of Wisconsin System’s six-year Capital Plan and then approved in the State of Wisconsin’s biennial capital budget. No projects requiring the ISC house removal are in the current UW System Capital Plan (2021–27).
Long-term facilities plans and advanced plans inform future possibilities on campus, but they do not necessarily move forward in the way they were initially envisioned. Student Affairs and Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M) are gathering and clarifying key information on these projects and plans to inform a collaborative process for campus development and to address any potential impact on the ISC house. Keeping students informed and engaged is an important part of this process.
Recent activity
July 17, 2024 — Student Affairs and FP&M leaders and staff meet with ISCC members to discuss the university’s requests for the upcoming State Building Commission meeting in August. UW–Madison will be seeking approval to purchase additional properties on Block 16. If approved, the university would begin demolition planning of this property in fall 2025. Future development on Block 16 could include a parking structure, but a timeline and decisions about additional development on this site have not been finalized. Additional property sales, decisions, and approvals could take several years.
May 24, 2024 — Argyle Wade emails the following FP&M updates to the ISC’s Bobbi Skenandore:
- Basement shoring at 209 Brooks Street has been completed.
- Electrical service installation at 206 Bernard Court has been completed. Once inspections have been completed, porch demolition will commence.
- 210 Bernard Court porch demolition will align with 206 and be shared with users prior to starting removal operations.
- Demolition of the all buildings as part of the project except 923 Clymer have been completed.
- Installation of the temporary electrical service via overhead lines on the south side of Clymer. Temporary service interruption cause by MG&E was outside of the project control, and we will work with them to provide as much notice in the future as possible.
- Ongoing soil retention pile installation is anticipated through May and into June.
- Foundation installation to begin the week of May 19.
- New Project Manager Casey Alton Ward has been assigned to this project [replacing Scott Utter] and will be providing updates moving forward.
Nov. 29, 2023 — Rescheduled “Spaces of Belonging” meeting at ISC house. No students attend.
Nov. 27, 2023 — A “Spaces of Belonging” listening session scheduled at the ISC house was missed by the consultant due to miscommunication. Students are offered two alternative options to provide feedback. ISCC members agree to a rescheduled session on Nov. 29.
Nov. 27–29, 2024 — External consultants contracted by Student Affairs conduct an onsite review and 40 staff and student listening sessions. They invite students to share their experiences and ideas for UW–Madison’s student programming and space. The “Spaces of Belonging” sessions are part of a larger effort exploring how campus spaces and programming are structured to support student belonging and success. Consultants tour the cultural centers, including the ISC, with Multicultural Student Center staff.
June 28, 2023 — FP&M’s Scott Utter and Student Affairs’ Argyle Wade meet with ISCC representatives (recorded). They convey that a structural analysis of the ISC house showed it was in good shape; that the Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall construction would cause some vibration; and that the brick should be repointed prior to the start of construction. They estimated tuckpointing would be done in early August.
May 1, 2023 — AVC for Student Affairs Gabe Javier sends the following email message to ISCC representatives:
We met earlier today with the Mecha Housing Committee to discuss the structural report findings. Since we have yet to schedule an ISCC meeting to discuss the ISC structural report, I want to put any worries at ease and assure you that the ISC house is in good condition.
As we shared with Mecha, we intend to release the structural reports to them and to your group after the university’s executive leadership has had a chance to review the findings. There is also information in the reports on private residences that will first need to be removed or redacted. We then would like to have a meeting with you to discuss the findings and next steps.
I know you all wanted to wait until after finals to discuss the report, and we don’t want this to distract you from finishing the semester, so I’ll be in touch after finals to set up a meeting in mid to late May. Please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.
April 19, 2023 – AVC Gabe Javier emails ISCC an update that the structural assessment was recently received and is being reviewed. Requests time to meet.
March 16, 2023 — Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall planning team assess the internal and external ISC building structure to determine considerations the general contractor may need to include before or during the nearby construction.
March 6, 2023 — Indigenous Student Center Coalition (ISCC) Meeting at Indigenous Student Center
- Agenda: Welcome and introductions; clarifying construction and potential impact on the house (Irving and Dorothy Levy building, space assessments, block 16 map); cultural centers review study; lines of communication; questions
- Invited: ISCC members; Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Gabe Javier, Associate Vice Chancellor for FP&M Cindy Torsveit, Interim Director for Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture Aaron Williams
Jan. 31, 2023 — Update: Indigenous Student Center
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor emails update to members of the Indigenous Student Center Coalition.
Dec. 7, 2022 — Indigenous Student Center & Mecha House Town Hall Follow-up
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor emails follow-up message to those who registered to attend the virtual town hall on Nov. 30, 2022.
Nov. 30, 2022 —Indigenous Student Center & Mecha House Community Town Hall
Virtual town hall hosted by Multicultural Student Center (MSC) to share updates on the ISC and Mecha.
Summer 2022 — After reviewing feedback from students, staff, and faculty, the American Indian Studies Cultural Center or AISCC is renamed to the Indigenous Student Center (ISC) to capture its broader connections to Native students.
Fall/Spring 2021–22 —Student Affairs and FP&M meet with AISCC house residents to communicate the timeline of Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall construction beginning in fall 2023. They confirm that construction of the new building will not require relocation of the AISCC house but discuss moving tenants in summer 2023 to prevent disruptions of construction-related noise and dust in anticipation of potential future construction projects on block 16. Student Affairs requests a space study in the Red Gym.
October 2021 — The MSC hires inaugural Indigenous Student Center Coordinator Bobbi Skenandore. In this role, she is the building manager for 215-217 N. Brooks Street and oversees AISCC programming.
September 2021 — Student Affairs assumes responsibility and oversight for the American Indian Student and Cultural Center or AISCC (now called the Indigenous Student Center, ISC) to align with work and support of other cultural and identity-based centers. MSC maintains responsibility for the house, similar to other cultural centers located in the Red Gym. AISCC was previously sponsored by American Indian Studies in the College of Letters & Science.
Block 16 construction
Click image to enlarge.
Map reflects construction impact on nearby houses, beginning fall 2023. Buildings in gray are owned by the university and scheduled for demolition as part of the Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall construction. Houses in blue mark the ISC and Mecha locations.
Last update: February 2023
Q&A
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
How is the ISC house used and by whom?
The ISC House at 215-217 N. Brooks Street houses several student organizations, including Wunk Sheek, Indigenous Law Students Association, Wunk Sheek Drum, Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc. – Lambda Chapter, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, MadTown Singers, and the Tribal Libraries, Archives, and Museums. These groups comprise the Indigenous Student Center Coalition (ISCC), which the ISC formalized in fall 2022. The American Indian Studies Program also maintains an office in the space. Students use space within the ISC for programming, meetings, study, and storage for the resident student orgs.
Last update: April 24, 2023
What will be the impacts of Levy Hall construction on the ISC house?
Demolition of Susan B. Davis Hall and Zoe Bayliss Cooperative begins in November 2023. The ISC house will be affected by noise, vibrations, and dust. A loading dock and dumpster are expected to be staged in the southwest corner of the construction site, which may limit access to the east side of house. The North Brooks entrance should not be affected. FP&M is conducting structural studies on the ISC house in spring 2023 to determine the potential for impact from the nearby construction.
Last update: April 24, 2023
Contact
Argyle Wade, Chief of Staff for Student Affairs, argyle.wade@wisc.edu