Constructed with limestone from Bedford, Ind., the cone incorporates attributes of Southern Ind. in USI’s most recent addition.
However, the architectural feat of a 97 ft. tall cone-shaped building erected on campus has been momentarily shoved aside for a less impressive and more startling discovery.
Students and faculty have noticed rust creeping up on the centerpiece of this $18.4 million expansion project.
Staff Architect Fred Kalvelage said that they wanted the limestone to be entirely natural, so the rust and the drill marks were left unaltered with intentions of contributing character to USI’s newest focal point.
“[The rusting] will get worse if it continues to get wet, but at some point it will probably stop because the limestone will actually seal it over,” Kalvelage said.
Iron compounds within limestone combine with rain and oxygen in an entirely natural and unpreventable process that creates rust.
However, some of the “rust spots” are not rust at all.
Kalvelage said that some of it is a buildup of dirt and algae due to a previous opening in the rock. It could also be due to weathering from laying out in the quarry yard for an extended period of time.
While some say that the rust is unsightly, Kalvelage said that the school has heard both negative and positive feedback.
“We’ve heard about how it’s nice to have this outstanding feature in the middle of campus that makes it different from everything else,” he said. “It’s a focal point, a center piece.”
“It seems like a waste of money,” said Ryan Baker, freshman psychology major. “We could have just used it on cleaner stone. It looks like it’s going to fall apart.”
Political science major and Student Government Association (SGA) Administrative Vice President Dylan Melling said that, despite the oddities of the cone, he still supports it.
He said he is happy that USI opted out of mimicking the uniform normalcy that the Liberal Arts building, the Orr Center and the Science Center all share.
“There’s just so much in that cone and in the new UC that makes me proud of USI and the little bits of history that it carries,” he said. “A lot of the stuff won’t stick with the average student, but for those of us who are impacted every day by this university, we’re proud of it.”
