dome society grand poobah gets visit from old pal with dome photo below- and today -march 21st 2006; a call came in from the isthmus- a local newspaper asking about the misleading information given to the three newspapers by memorial union management about reasons for the great dome's closure!- the student newspaper had actually done two seperate articles about it; and was mislead by union management both times!
leader of student group still maintains low profile so as not to expose actual organizational purpose rivaling the board of regents.

and now a document long buried exposes the closure and destruction of a fantastic piece of the history of the union and the greatest campus cover-up in history starring former director porter butts; that reveals the decidedly high minded decision to close the dome forever. and i quote-
"Then we were plagued by all sorts of lighting difficulties. The main lounge had very heavy bronze and strap iron chandelier fixtures with candle bulbs for a lighting source and you couldn’t read by this light when sitting below. So over the years we had had to add a forest of floor lamps and this didn’t add a great deal to the appearance of the room. It was a very high ceiling, also; it was full story and a half, or more. So the ceiling was dropped and turned into an acoustic ceiling for quieting the room and ceiling down-lights and fluorescent fixtures were installed in this drop ceiling to give an overall illumination that provided the candle power that was called for reading purposes at eye level. In the Great Hall, again, a story and a half high, it had a sky light in it with flood lights above. Well, the flood light—this was glazed glass and open to the roof sky lights—was a leaded glass dome and picturesque in some respects but it meant the sun light came in all day long and any conference or seminar or lecture that called for a darkened room for films or slides, couldn’t function because the room couldn’t be darkened. So, again, the ceiling was dropped so that it wasn’t such an austere, monumental room on the interior, for one thing. In other words, the sky light dome was closed off and downlighting was added in this dropped ceiling to give the possibility of lighting sufficient for banquet purposes so that you could see your food or read or see your notes. It could be dimmed for parties on dance nights—mood lighting—and a whole new sound system was added and a place carved out in the upper ceiling for spotlights to illuminate the stage where the speaker’s table was and the speakers were, so that you could see them. Again, this room with the sky light and some dome lighting had some very expensive bronze chandeliers with candle-shaped low glow lamps which didn’t give much light. Well, we left those in at the side for decorative purposes but we added the downlighting throughout and this made a different kind of Great Hall atmosphere, and a useful one."
a possibly over-zealous administrator with a distaste for the "austere"?- i knew it all along. all for now- the grand poobah.
revenue enhancing state job saving trends were enacted with all wisconsin prisons taking over major state manufacturing contracts.
hundreds of new classified staff join union payroll in major new grade classification of former exploited limited term workers! blank check for over 100 million dollars given to union planners with less than 20 percent of the students voting! dome repair possibly slated; but management now trying to explain deferred maintenance on critical building needs as opposed to management rewards and new revenue-enhancing unit employee hire while scaling back student services such as the monday night movie- a twenty-some year tradition now only being played once a month. new living wage for ltes being attacked as anti-union tactics!
origional historic preservation website was created on campus free terminals and posted first origionally on free servers. it brought to light the disadvantages of adding futuristic art deco designe elements into existing architecture!

lately- the stepford wife effect compels new director to create futuristic streamlined lakefront cafe redesign! icy outer space lines and stainless steel appointments foreshadow draconian "spartan deco" takeover in revisionist theory of union building redesigne!

conspiracy theorists assume the portholes visable in the new structure reveal the actual intent of the lakefront device to be undocked from it's mooring and flown into outer space!
much carousing after grand opening although no mention of former dome...
hoofers say future restored dome may not be opened to actual sunlight; sylvania and phillips already bidding for future illumination rights; possible solar power and dazzling beauty of actual sunlight through stained-glass discounted for ease of application!
presidential election nicely covering for draconian state budget cuts affecting workers standards of living.
Thompson brought back to administrate new french bylaws to replace republican party!
french-minded hoards move west to take-over sullivan stage from letterman in new york due to proximity of shipping!
millions wasted on new lakefront "reconstruction" forsaking again the origional designe and intent; a splendid model of high art yet still does not address actual humane or sanitary food service to the masses! (not seen on television)

It is exactly as the sun passes overhead in the fall of the year 2004. U.W president- art paul schlosser played his uke and passed out get in free cards at the door with former mayor paul soglin who said he thought it was a pretty neat idea to fix the old dome; however built the monona terrace convention center instead. Leaders of industry and education are now seated at a grand banquet table with their counterparts in local; national; and international politics- at a lavish opening ceremony for the great dome in madisons' memorial union. One of the most memorable speeches included many thanks to all responsible visionaries who recognized the true significance of the great hall dome project. The emcee went on to thank individually the industrialists who donated their time and resources to the different aspects of enhancement and restoration. The international uplinks thanks to those cleverly placed interstellar transceiver dishes under the skylight; which broadcast images and sounds from abroad; or the near galaxy; room to room throughout the building! And the intriguing- "central computer" linking the many union departments and student organizations based in the building; as well as controlling all the utilities and communications in the building!

The on-going classroom project showcasing the latest in corporate solar electric production; heating and cooling methods; structural engineering; art glass creation and restoration processes; and the many other disciplines involved- creating a new idea of a free-flowing hands-on research arena for campuses and businesses alike. Speakers from the many university departments that also helped with the project were on hand to commend the unfounded cooperation of diverse business people; artists; students; craftsmen and officials that had joined together on the project; sighting only in comparison- the building of the union itself. A spectacle that would be seen freely by tens of thousands yearly! Community educational outreach to the general public for equitable employment opportunities deemed unsuitable by republican leaders to keep wages in control; robotics given further consideration. Government declares victory over war only to be advised by military arpanet computeres - that it was in their nature... How did the 400 square-foot wrought-iron stained-glass dome vanish? read on! Suddenly recognized by new management as a project long overdue; the new director puts the dome in his new ten-year plan for restoration; therby pushing the domes' fix out for another decade while pet projects of old director get priority. The cover-up continues...

It mysteriously vanished in 1948. A masterwork incorporating countless hours of labor with the finest in design features and materials available. The creation was lost in what the dome society believes was the hand of artistic destruction in a culture that favored modernist style.

Probably representing everything victorian in a new age of metropolitan streamlined design; the dome was easy prey to a philosophy that blended architectural creation with destruction.

Popularized in a book and later a film "fountainhead" depicted a society that placed higher importance in an individuals artistic ideals in the design of a public building- and not those of a over-zealous miserly bureaucrat with the budget-cutting power to make his own artistic intervention. In a bizarre hollywood reversal of architectural trends; a futurist architects' art-deco streamlined design was compromised with an antiquated exterior look that compelled the designer to destroy it. Meanwhile; at the union- those in charge of its destiny; refuse to acknowledge the discoverers of the dome; and to seek theit guidence in it's restoration. If any other unsympathetic alterations occur in the buildings restoration; they will likely be viewed as "artistic" changes; or sold to the public as being in their best interests like the cost-savings of a limited-term employee; and the advantage of a profitable conference service as opposed to advanced student services...

In 1988 -when the union was installing a new air conditioning unit in the great hall. John Paulson; campus architect; stated in one of the Unions' studies- that no air ducts could enter the dome room
(the space enclosing the dome) calling the dome historically significant. in a conversation about the dome mr. paulson called it "one of the best examples of post-modern architecture, and mentioned neon as a possible lighting source." Further credibility was given for the restoration of the great dome by the u.w. art department chairman Bruce Breckenridge. In a letter to the Union director; Breckenridge stated "the dome is a wonderful piece of period architecture." He then offered his departments help in enlisting students as restoration artists through the university of wisconsins glass lab.

Domes and Ceilings

The following is an exclusive National Parks Service brief (click on text) Stained glass domes and ceilings were very popular throughout the Victorian and Classical Revival periods. They are often principal interior features of churches, hotels, restaurants, railway stations, and civic buildings. The loss or unsympathetic alteration of leaded glass ceilings and domes is a widespread problem. Poorly planned rehabilitation projects sometimes cause the removal or alteration of overhead leaded glass in order to comply with fire codes or to achieve perceived energy savings; occasionally, they are even concealed above suspended ceilings.

Moreover, stained glass in the horizontal position readily collects dust and dirt over the years and is relatively inaccessible for cleaning. It is also more likely to "creep" or slump when the reinforcement is inadequate. Most importantly, leaded glass cannot be sufficiently weatherproofed in a horizontal (or arched) position. It must always be protected by skylights or "diffusers"-rooftop features that diffuse the natural daylight into the attic or light shaft, and protect the leaded glass ceiling or dome from the elements.
Due to the inferior quality of glazing sealants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and to deferred maintenance, glass ceilings have frequently been removed or covered with roofing materials. Artificial lighting is then required to backlight the ceiling or dome, which robs the stained glass of its life-the vibrant effects created by ever-changing natural light.

All types of artificial lighting can be found from floodlamps to fluorescent tubes. Outside sensors are even used to modulate the light level in an attempt to simulate changes in daylight. However, daylight is impossible to emulate. Moreover, it's free. Artificial lighting requires maintenance, introduces an additional fire hazard in the attic, increases the building's electrical load, and is supplied only at a cost.

Stained glass ceilings and domes that have been sealed off from natural light should be investigated for restoration. Once natural light is restored and the stained glass is cleaned, the lighting effect on an interior can be extraordinary. Improved skylight designs and major advances in glazing sealants since World War II (particularly silicones) encourage the restoration of skylights without the fear of inheriting a maintenance nightmare.

Conclusion

Much of the Nation's stained glass and leaded glass has recently passed, or is quickly approaching, its 100th anniversary-yet much of this glass has not been cleaned or repaired since the day it was installed. With proper care, the stained and leaded windows, transoms, and other elements that add so much to historic buildings can easily last another hundred years.

Thanks to the park service for that wonderful document if you would like to help restore the dome- click on the pinball machine below!

The Lost Dome Is in the Great Hall of Madison Wisconsins' Memorial Union; the midwests' most spectacular example of Italian Renaissance Revival Architecture.

There once existed a huge, 400 square foot vaulted stained glass domed ceiling; with the style and complexity of a tiffany lamp. But mysteriously the dome was enshrouded in a sweeping late forties art deco renovation to the hall and other parts of the building. Executed perhaps to be in keeping with the late thirties art-deco theatre attachment to the existing Union; the premier art-deco quisling clinic and neighboring spectacular art-moderne apartments; as well as the exclusive edgewater hotel- just a few blocks from the union; all fantastic examples of the Art-deco style; and all still visible today.

Once an extremely ornate victorian-styled stained glass ovular dome sculpted in a massive wrought-iron frame; the hall presented an intricate artistic display rarely performed on this scale.
The domes' closure- co-incidentally timed to the universities 150th anniversary -then presented an electrically-lit false ceiling suspended below the dome to provide a more streamlined, futuristic illumination to a sky-lit room that had only seen twenty-some years of service.

The integrity of the architecture will indeed be a challenge to recreate- as photos; especially color; will be hard to find to reproduce the original glass and ornate plaster centerwork- and to maintain structural specifications. A concerted effort will need to be made by many individuals.

It has been over 50 years since the Great Dome has seen the light of day. It is the hope of the Dome Society, that magnificent benefactors can be found to participate in our efforts to restore the dome.


R e c e n t D e v e l o p m e n t
It will take over 1000 pieces of glass to restore the dome; one can only imagine art performed on this scale today! A modern miracle in its day- the dome was an illusionary window - with frosted glass- to actually appear as though you were looking up at the sky- with the real roof of the building being the source of the light. The dome was nestled in a brightly whitewashed room to reflect the light into the hall in a dazzling display of lighting design. Radiant pipes kept the glass warm in cool weather.

Art or science? A striking convergence for the early 1920s

The artwork of the pharaohs may have inspired the popularity of the deco style showcased in art and architecture- but how could a spectacular showpiece of gothic stained-glass majesty mysteriously vanish? Where is its' ornately designed stained-glass now? Was it forgotten in a long-lost warehouse; waiting for a renovation that never occurred? Or the unimaginable... smashed to pieces in a spectacular display of one mans domination over another mans art? What relics remained were discovered in the mid 80's by a brilliant young lighting technician that founded the great dome society. He brought the domes' information to the attention of a building and campus unable to raise the funds for it's restoration; and to a director that favored modernist renovation projects in his reign.



The estimate we requested in 1988 of restoration costs is the only one made public since the domes' closure. The reason for its demise is one to ponder. In 1947 a plan for the closure of the dome was submitted by former director of the union Porter Butts-even though other alternativers were suggested by Michael Hare (architect of the west wing theatre) in a conversation with Mr. Butts; he stated the reason for closing the dome was that it was hard to clean; he had to send a man up to close the skylight; had a problem with mice. which we at the great dome society find ironic; since the management mentions a leaky skylight as the cause in the union orientation program. our research concludes that Porter Butts didn't like the italian summer style of the building from the onset of construction due to the fact that he was the lead man on fund-raising for the buildings construction; and had his own vision of what the design of the union should be. Further criticism of Peabodys Memorial Union came from then world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who called the building "bad italian language" a further rift between peabody and butts occurred during the planning of the theatre west wing- in butts notes he mentioned being forced to make the front of the west wing in italian style - but his vision was for an all art moderne west wing.

The domes' original 400 square foot wrought iron frame still binds the structural ironwork of great halls' ceiling! Yet remains unusually cloaked to this day....

A view of the majestic dome!

The Great Dome-like many other masterpieces of architecture, has been lost or forgotten; and need only attention to regain their former grandeur in a new age of artistic appreciation. In 1988, The Great Dome Society was founded as a student organization; created by 3 UW students.

The dome project, with our universities' progressive research in solar energy production; could well produce the power needed for the building; and serve as a premier classroom for stained glass restoration and a showcase of evolving lighting - battery - photovoltaics and other related fields of discovery...

"the greatdome society live"

the dome society celebrates 15 years of a quiet yet hostile restoration relationship with the university. Massive deco revision state buildings arise on campus amidst a growing number of fallen beauties such as the orpheum theatre a society so driven by public works projects that they forget their own peoples basic needs like secure jobs; affordable housing and equitable heat and lighting sources. and watch the university webcast station-
and wonder where the glass went...

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