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Tangeman University Center Reborn

	Light now pours into TUC from the skylight that surrounds the old clock tower. The new TUC was designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects of New York with the Cincinnati firm GBBN Architects.

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For some, it was a curious new sound. For others it was a pleasant throwback. But for everyone, the return of the Tangeman University Center's clock tower bells was a melodic invitation to take back the social hub of campus.

Silenced by three years of construction, the University of Cincinnati's most familiar visual symbol, the TUC cupola, regained its charming chime the spring of 2004, just days before the gates of MainStreet opened to faculty, staff and students seeking their first glimpse of the reborn student union. TUC was shuttered and the area around it cordoned off in 2001 to allow for the facility's complete restoration and expansion. Judging by the reaction, it was worth the wait.

They came, they admired, but mostly they ate.

"That first and second day the TUC food court was open, there was so much business that they actually ran out of food," UC architect Ron Kull says. Most lined up for the food court's fare at Tortilla Fresca, Wendy's, Gold Star, Freshens and Pizza Hut, while many swung through Quick Mick's for a grab and go. Others hungered for a more sophisticated eating experience and enjoyed Mick and Mack's Contemporary Café, offering table-service dining with a panoramic view of McMicken Commons and a fresh-air patio alternative.

Since TUC opened in two stages -- the south wing in 2003 and the north wing this year -- most had already seen the rebuilt zinc-clad facility that houses the UC Bookstore and the 888-seat Great Hall. The north wing, however, remained under wraps for several more months. And considering campus was starving for social space and many had a vivid memory of the old TUC, the rechristening of the north wing created more buzz than any opening on campus in years.

About half of TUC's 67-year-old shell remains visible from the outside, as does the building's iconic elements -- the clock tower, though now sitting on a glass roof, and the four-column Greek Revival facade that faces McMicken Hall. The interior view of the building, however, is vastly different from the way students left it in the spring of '01. Upon entering TUC's north wing, visitors are met with a sensational 90-foot atrium that was created by literally gutting the old student union.

	Upon entering TUC's north wing, visitors are met with a sensational 90-foot atrium that was created by literally gutting the old student union.

"It was like they took a core drill and went right through the center of the building to open it up," Kull says. "When the sun is out, and it comes through around that clock tower, it is unbelievable in that space. It looks light and airy rather than dark and dingy. The primary comment from students was that (the old) TUC was dark. So the design architect's main thrust was to get more sunlight into it. That's how the atrium and skylight came about."

Russell Curley, director of educational services, sums up his impression of the building's dramatic evolution rather simply. "Night and day," he says. "There are so many bright and open spaces. It is just like two different buildings. When alumni see this, they are going to be overwhelmed."

Not surprising, the glass-top roof that surrounds the cupola has become a central point of conversation, mostly because it gives passersby the impression the clock tower is somehow suspended precariously.

"The beauty of it is you are playing a little architectural game," Kull says. "When you look at it from the outside you think, ‘Well, how is that thing supported? It has got all that glass around it'."

From beneath, however, one can see all 90 feet of the interior structure holding up the massive clock tower. In fact, the support system is the central visual element within the atrium that draws the eye from top to bottom. Kull says he and the designers were pleasantly surprised when crews tore out the old ceiling to reveal salvageable roof supports.

	The 888-seat Great Hall in Tangeman serves as valuable programming space for everything from comedy acts to student orientation.

"Those are not heavy structural members like you might expect," he says of the supports. "They are pretty light elements, and it gives you a little web up there, almost like a spider web. It reinforces the airy quality of the whole interior."

Past the food and the architectural accoutrements, the new TUC also offers the campus community the chance to relax in its first-floor Catskeller game room, take in a $2 movie in its 200-seat theater or simply gather in one of 20 fourth-floor breakout rooms that overlook campus on all sides.

"TUC was one of the more anticipated openings since the Master Plan began (1989)," Kull says. "It (and the rest of MainStreet) represents the fourth imperative of the Master Plan, which is quality of life."

Next Page | A brief history of TUC

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