Member of BG Chapter of Landmark Trust comments on future of Cherry Hall

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – One member of a local organization is sharing his reaction to the proposed renovations to Cherry Hall on Western Kentucky University’s campus.

President Timothy Caboni met with the Board of Regents last August to discuss plans on Cherry Hall. On May 1, Caboni hosted an open house to reveal plans of renovation.

These new additions include more modernized classrooms, collaborative spaces and more windows. Caboni said there has been a decline in Cherry Hall over the last several school terms.

This announcement is alarming to some, including the Bowling Green Chapter of Landmark Trust. Board member, Tommy Hines, a third generation WKU alum, believes there is a way to find common ground on this decision.

Hines urges Western to “not get rid of all the old.” He says there “needs to be a balance” of new and old on campus. Hines says that preservation is “extremely important.”

Hines adds that the possible changes are not timeless and could go out of style in a few years. He believes that alumni feel “a sense of place” when returning to Western’s campus. Hines is concerned that the proposal of “modern, generic design” will hinder the this camaraderie.

Timothy Caboni, president of WKU, also shared a comment about the planned renovations.

Caboni said, “If you go to Cherry Hall now, and if folks haven’t been there in a while, I appreciate that they may idealize what it used to be. The reality is we have some real challenges. We’re going to take out all of the drop ceilings that were put in in the 1950s and 60s. The temporary walls are going to go away. We’re actually going to replace all the Hvac and electrical, because the building has been neglected, to be candid, for about 50 years.”

There has also been talk about demolishing the Faculty House that sits behind Cherry Hall. Caboni has since put this on pause.