The University of Cincinnati takes a sharp dive into its past with the renovation of the Old Chemistry building, where salvaging a piece of art steep in academia's history was anything but a standard procedure. Hanging on to more than just nostalgia, the folks at UC have made efforts to preserve a unique tile fountain, a gift from the class of 1921, which has adorned the building's walls for a century, as reported by UC News.
The 9-foot-tall fountain, more than just decorative wall tiles, is a storybook of chemistry through ages, and it comes from the renowned Rookwood Pottery Co. The artwork remains a testament to the class's respect for their field and the era’s craftsmanship, but extracting this massive artifact from its home wasn't a walk in the park; Jordan Tobler, Skanska’s assistant superintendent who’s overseeing the building’s facelift, shared the intricacies of the task with UC News, “I wanted to make sure the historic Rookwood tile fountain was handled with the proper care it requires,” underscoring the delicate nature of the endeavor.
Preservation work is always a sticky wicket, but when it comes to intertwining the old with the new, Cincinnati's university scene is showing it can maintain a delicate balance. The Old Chemistry's face-lift ensures the architectural integrity of the past meets the safety and technological necessities of today. This move preserves more than just bricks and mortar; it holds onto the academia's poetic past a time when a class could leave behind a legacy solidified in craftsmanship and shared knowledge.
The Old Chemistry renovation isn't just about sprucing up the place; it's a full-on resurrection of the building's former glory with great pains taken to ensure history remains unscathed—conservation of this one-of-a-kind fountain represents the university’s stance on valuing the legacies of those that came before and incorporating them into the present educational landscape, and in doing so honors the long-standing tradition as well as the modern pursuit of academic excellence, a trajectory Cincinnati seems committed to maintaining.
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