UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #558
QUAGLIANA, CHARLES

QUAGLIANA, Charles (1954- )
Isthmus Architecture

Interviewed: 2001	
Interviewer: Emily Menn with Darcie Kileen
Length: 59 minutes

Education; Interest in architectural preservation; Wisconsin Capitol; Red Gym; Mary Rouse; Historic Structure Reports; Preservation and adaptive use; Chancellor Richard Wells of UW-Oshkosh; Historic value of UW buildings. 

Interview Session (March 14, 2001)

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:26 	CQ describes his education.  He earned his B.S. in architecture from Kent State University, followed by a semester at Rosary Graduate College in Florence, Italy with an emphasis in history.  CQ attended the University of Florida for a master's degree in architectural preservation.  He discusses what first interested him in architecture and in preservation.

00:02:44	CQ explains how he became involved in working for the state of Wisconsin and discusses his increasing involvement in the restoration of the state capitol building.  CQ worked at the Division of Facilities Development (DFD) from 1987 through 1998.  This time overlaps with the restoration project of the Red Gym.

00:06:34	In the first few years at DFD, CQ and his colleagues speculated about the future of the Red Gym and considered the facility as a possible future home for the State Historical Society.

00:08:16	CQ first heard about the project to turn the Red Gym into a center for student services in 1989 or 1990.  He comments on the Department of Administration's initial diffidence to the idea of renovating the Red Gym.  The prospect of raising private support to fund the project seemed impossible.  CQ says he agreed with Mary Rouse and thought the Red Gym would make an impressive gateway to the UW campus. One of the important steps to gaining legislative support for the project was to establish the historical importance of the building.  This was the purpose of the historical structure report (HSR).  

00:15:02	CQ discusses the importance of historical structure reports and comments on the report done for Lathrop Hall.  The report helped to establish the importance of the Red Gym.   HSRs, says CQ, often result in money saved in a renovation project.  It is usually a good idea to retain the same firm to do the HSR and renovation.

00:21:50	CQ discusses his personal philosophy regarding preservation and adaptive use of existing structures.  The best preservation projects are those which begin with a good building and a strong grass roots effort to save it.  He talks about the upcoming renovation of the old Lorraine Hotel on West Washington Avenue.  CQ says the City of Madison does not harbor a supportive attitude regarding adaptive use and restoration of existing buildings.

00:26:23	Isthmus Architecture, CQ's firm, deals almost exclusively with existing structures.  He discusses the types of his firm's projects and the different personnel these projects require. 

00:31:06	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:31:07	CQ discusses the different sorts of specialists who work in his firm: historians, researchers, etc.

00:32:38	When planning the restoration of the Red Gym, it was important to balance the necessities and the preferences of the project with the budget.  CQ discusses the budget and some of the details of the restoration which were abandoned due to budgetary constraints.

00:40:14	CQ discusses the value of historic preservation and adaptive use for large institutions such as UW.  He describes the fight for the preservation of the Thomas R. Wall House, a building designed by Wisconsin architect William Waters, at UW-Oshkosh which has the support of Chancellor Richard Wells.  It is the duty of the university to save buildings, views and landscape features which are important parts of the campus, says CQ.

00:42:42	CQ mentions some of the buildings at UW which he sees as valuable examples of modern architecture which are worth saving.  It is more difficult to save buildings which do not look like classics.  CQ says there is value in saving structures other than old Victorian-style buildings.  

00:47:10	The next big challenge at UW is preserving and adapting the dormitory buildings for modern use.

00:51:32	CQ lists his top five buildings for restoration and preservation at UW.  

00:58:35	End of side.  End of tape.  

END