Oh, Blanton Student Services Building, we, the Ed Board, welcomeyou with open arms. After 20-plus months in anticipation ofPresident Turner cutting the ribbon on campus’ newestarchitectural behemoth, last Friday’s ceremony might havebeen more of an anticipated event than the homecoming king andqueen announcement Saturday… maybe.
The Blanton Building can be seen from the far corners of the SMUkingdom (the corner of Greenville and Yale), not to mention fromCentral Expressway. This visibility will help in both enticingprospective students to come to SMU, and also enhancing the true,Georgian-collegiate mind-set that our campus architecture alreadyembraces.
And what about that fountain that more closely resembles NiagraFalls than a part of garden landscaping? Ed Board only hopes thatwhen the Mustang football team inevitably gets a win this seasonthat this glorious geyser will be lit with red lights like the onesin the fountain in the main quad (yes, first years, this is thecommon tradition after a big win, so stay positive, the day iscoming).
While the exterior façade is impressive, complete withsix Ionic columns, the interior is quite possibly more impressive.The gleaming, traditional design almost gives visitors a hint ofSouthern hospitality and comfort.
Not quite enough comfort, though, to make students forget thatthey still have to deal with Financial Aid and Registrar problemsduring their visit. And at least most of the offices housingFinancial Aid employees now have a window, instead of a simple graycubicle wall.
Now that the Blanton Building will be the center of studentservices, we, with a tear in our eye, bid a fond farewell to thedays of trekking to Perkins Administration. It servedmany-a-Mustang and, while it doesn’t compare to the grandeurof Blanton, is still an attractive building, whatever its futurepurpose.
Even though the Ed Board approves of the centerpiece of the newEast quad, as the Blanton Building has been deemed, we stillrecognize the building that started it all as the truearchitectural jewel on the Hilltop — Dallas Hall.
