The creation of a University environment in the middle of a city of nearly 50,000 is a difficult task 和 is one which has challenged Wilkes for more than 60 years.
而 the provision of academic facilities is essential, it is no less essential to provide other physical amenities for faculty, staff 和 students.
During the early years, Wilkes was primarily a commuter college 和 the student 住房 需求是有限的. Fortunately, the neighborhood in which Wilkes evolved included many of the former homes of Wilkes-Barre's upper class. These provided student 住房 with minimal renovation as the resident student population grew. 在紧急情况下, Wilkes was able to 使用 commercial facilities, including 住房 rented from the old 斯特林酒店和Y. M. C. A., both located adjacent to the campus.
Indeed, even in the year 2000, when nearly half of the student body was non-commuter, only two residence halls (Pickering 和 Evans) had been built specifically as student 住房. Since the acceptable fashion in student 住房 trended toward apartments rather than open buildings, Pickering was no longer considered appropriate for long-term 使用. However, the supply of suitable mansions started to run low 和 maintenance of aging structures became an increased burden on the University.
Similarly, the problem of parking in a car-based society has plagued Wilkes virtually 从一开始. Student protests about the lack of adequate parking were recorded as early as the 1940s 和 little was done to resolve the problem until the 1990s.
As older obsolete buildings were removed in the academic block, the space not taken up by new construction was paved. The expansion of parking areas failed to keep pace with the proliferation of cars. On at least two occasions, efforts were made to run bus shuttles between the main campus 和 the Ralston Field athletic area. 既不 were successful 和 were quickly ab和oned.
New campus proposals include efforts to deal with both 住房 和 parking problems. The construction of a new Student Center began the development of the block below 南大街. This structure replaced the cafeteria, which was attached to Pickering Hall; both of those buildings were demolished. The University-owned ho使用s 和 apartment buildings will be converted from academic to residential purposes as needed 和 a series of apartment style 住房 units will be erected as needed.
As the development of the academic block required removal of virtually all parking in that area, space was leased in the city parking garage on South Main Street. 和 a new entrance to the campus opened directly from the garage to the Weckesser Hall area.
With the demolition of Pickering Hall, the interior of the student block was paved for parking, with the possibility that a parking garage would be constructed on the 未来的站点. The University planned to continue to purchase 住房 in this block as it becomes available.
As many of these buildings are in poor condition 和 comparatively small, they will be demolished 和 replaced by new 住房, parking, or l和scaping as appropriate. Under this plan, one industrial building located below Divver Lane would be rehabilitated for storage, providing a badly needed facility on the main campus.
Faculty 和 staff needs are not being ignored in the planning of the new campus. In a possible return to the 1940s when many faculty lived on campus or in South Wilkes-Barre (Mallery Place was a Wilkes enclave), the development of faculty 和 staff 住房 on South River Street below Ross Street is being investigated. 这是受到刺激的 by the gift of the McCole home at 331 South River Street.
The planned changes 和 those already undertaken will challenge the ability of the University to create an efficient campus while still maintaining some of the ambience of one of old Wilkes-Barre's more opulent neighborhoods. 河上的豪宅 和 below the main campus will remain as a reminder of the anthracite era. 新 buildings will be carefully designed to blend into the existing environment. 而 planning for the 21st Century, the University will not forget its own past or that of the city of which it is an integral part. Wilkes will continue to reconcile the inherent conflicts between history 和 function.