40th Anniversary of Elizabeth Plankinton Mansion Demolition

[Macallan 18]

40 years ago today the Elizabeth Plankinton Mansion, which sat near the location of the current AMU, was torn down. 

Came across a brief documentary using photos from the Marquette archives chronicles the ominous beginning, fight for preservation and eventual demolition of the mansion - https://youtu.be/RdBFIqn0OPY

For those who were on campus back then, was the controversy about the destruction of the mansion as big a deal as the documentary says? Sounds like after the Knights of Columbus remodeled it, a lot of the historic characteristics were lost, so perhaps tearing it down was the right call.

[4everwarriors]

Little known fact: The address of the Knights of Columbus house was 1492 W. Wisconsin Ave. Had a small bowling alley within and beautiful inlaid wood. The University took the Robert Irsay approach and demolished it during nighttime hours. #historicallandmarksmatta, hey?

[GooooMarquette]

I was a frosh in the fall of 1980, so I was just a few weeks into my college experience. I vaguely recall hearing about it and occasionally driving past the demolition site, but I don't recall any big outcry.

Then again, as a new frosh, I was kinda focused on girls and beer and grades...in that order.

[Uncle Rico]

40 years ago today the Elizabeth Plankinton Mansion, which sat near the location of the current AMU, was torn down. 

Came across a brief documentary using photos from the Marquette archives chronicles the ominous beginning, fight for preservation and eventual demolition of the mansion - https://youtu.be/RdBFIqn0OPY

For those who were on campus back then, was the controversy about the destruction of the mansion as big a deal as the documentary says? Sounds like after the Knights of Columbus remodeled it, a lot of the historic characteristics were lost, so perhaps tearing it down was the right call.

Tearing it down was the right call.  There were talks of moving the building or making it into a museum.  It had long outlived its usefulness. 

[JWags85]

I'm a HUGE historical mansion fan. Especially the late Victorian era through the early 20th century.  Toured most of the notable ones in Chicago over the years, went to Newport last year for the first time and was in heaven.

That being said, the Midwest in general was/has been HORRIBLE in terms of preserving them. There was this period in the 50s-60s where the cities just didn't view them as significant cause they were not old enough, or whatnot, and thus demolished them willy nilly. You look at the grand avenues and streets of Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, etc... and vast amounts of the history is gone. Chicago is especially brutal cause so much was replaced with crap. I have a coffee table book of the old Prairie Avenue mansions and some others and it mentions what replaced many that were demolished and they largely were parking lots, faceless commercial, or other nondescript development. At least the Potter
Mansion and others on LSD gave way to the high rises. Euclid Ave in Cleveland is another. My friend's Grandma grew up nearby and still mentions how it was the most stunning and impressive street she ever drove down outside of Europe...and 90% are gone. I get it to some extent, upkeep wasn't easy or cheap. But it's still a bummer

[The Sultan]

The mansion was before my Marquette time.  I do remember when they were building the AMU, that they had to dig up the foundations of the mansion as part of the process.

[muwarrior69]

One of my class mates was member of the Crown and Anchor debate society at MU which held their debates in the mansion at the time. To be a member you had to maintain a 4.0 GPA. Jim was a brilliant student and graduated with honors in Engineering, however he became a very successful investment banker.