The weather is finally decent in Madison and what better place to enjoy it then the Memorial Union Terrace? Since the 1930s, the Terrace has been the favorite warm-weather hangout of students and visitors alike. However, the Terrace we know today has come a long way since the first Madison students spent their days sunning and socializing.
In 1904 President Charles Van Hise wanted to join the ranks of Oxford and Cambridge and open a student union, a place to \unite the student body."" So in the 1920s, a group of UW alumni created a fund to build ""a home for Wisconsin spirit."" Originally envisioned as a gentlemen's club, the Memorial Union opened Oct. 5, 1928 for a student body that did not understand how to use it.
Eventually, the Union became the gathering place of students and faculty alike-from the first-ever Wisconsin Union Theater, to the big bands that would play in Tripp Commons and to meals at the Rathskellar, possibly the building's most famous room.
In fact, the Rathskellar was originally conceived as a tap room and snack bar, but became a German-style cafeteria in hopes that it could further promote companionship between students and faculty. Immediately after the repeal of prohibition, this ""Tap Room"" became home to the first beer-selling venue in a public university. Because of the German influence on campus and the struggle for profits during the Depression, the revenue gained from beer sales helped the Union. This unique period made the Memorial Union's interior what it is today.
The magic surrounding the Terrace stems from traditions that started in its opening years. Originally, the Terrace was not the main focus of the Union, and consisted of only a few leatherbacked chairs and areas to build bonfires. The stairs on the side of the theater led up to shuffleboard courts that was the site of ""Stardeck Dancing"" on weekend nights. If the jukebox was on, it was free, but if a jazz combo was playing each couple would have to shell out 25 cents to dance.
Even though that weekend charm still lingers, the Terrace has seen many changes since opening. The famous ""sunburst"" chairs that have come to symbolize the Union almost did not have the chance to become the icons they are today. In the
mid-1960s, the company that made the ""Terrace chairs"" went bankrupt and all of the tools and dyes they used to make Terrace chairs were destroyed without the knowledge of anyone at the UW.
The Memorial Union Building Association could not find a new company to make their long-lasting, ""indestructible"" chairs with circular bases. Then MUBA stumbled upon Wisco Industries, a small company in Oregon, Wis. They were able to recreate the tools and dyes needed to continue making the Terrace chairs. So MUBA bought the rights to the patterns, and Wisco continues to maintain the chairs by repainting them the trademark green, yellow and orange every five years.
Over the years, chairs have been stolen, broken and thrown into the lake, but the Union has always refused to chain them down because of the importance of mobility and the sense of ownership peoplefeel toward their seats.
The actual Terrace has seen changes in recent years. In the early 1960s, students started the ""Save the Stones"" campaign when builders began to replace the flagstone of the Terrace with cement. Food at the Union was originally served on real dishware, so tables were cleared by busboys pushing cleaning carts. This kept the area clean and the turnover on tables fast, but it became more difficult for busboys to push their carts as the flagstones wore down. The student protests did not succeed and within a few years, flagstones were replaced by concrete.
The late 1980s saw the biggest changes to the Terrace. Renovations were needed, but the necessary funds were not available. A twist of fate came when Russell Rieser, a man who enjoyed fishing off of the Union docks, left his estate to the Union. His gift was extraordinary considering he was not a UW alumnus and not a Union member; however, he was never married and did not have relatives. His property was sold and the profits became the seed money to start Terrace restorations.
With a gift from the Class of 1936 and money from MUBA, builders were able to restore the area from the original Terrace wall to the lake. Architects envisioned both a German ""beer-garden precedent"" as well as a Mediterranean-style terrace with a Latin atmosphere, hence both the brat stand and the outdoor stage.
The ideas of William Whyte, a planner who studied when and how people congregate in outdoor plazas in New York, also became the basis for the new Union Terrace design.
He believed that an area should move with the seasons: in spring and fall tables are to be set further from the building so visitors can enjoy the water and sun, and in the summer tables are to be closer toward the building to provide shade. He thought that gathering places were for people to see and be seen; therefore, the large steps leading down from the upper to lower decks of the Terrace were built to accommodate multiple pedestrians.
The step height was also thoughtfully planned, as people do not want to notice a change in elevation as they walk. Tables are placed a certain distance apart so that people can move from table to table, scope out the crowd and enjoy short-term seating. And the height of the retaining walls is high enough so people can sit on them without getting their feet wet.
This entire renovation was completed in 1988 and celebrated with a grand re-opening ceremony featuring 600 seats, multiple Terrace levels, a brat stand, Memorial Union Terrace T-shirts and large floating papier-mach?? fish created especially for the occasion.
Madtowners can be proud of the Terrace they are able to enjoy. According to Ted Crabb, Union Director from 1968-2002, it is unusual to find a union on a lake like UW's. The Memorial Union Terrace is the most well-known and nationally recognized in the country, he added.
""When one thinks of the Union, they automatically think of the Terrace. It's that special place that everyone remembers,"" said Crabb. ""It moves the principles of the Union outside.""
Helen LaRue, who received her bachelor of arts in 1946 and law degree in 1948, from the UW-Madison, remembers her summers spent at the Terrace. ""Once in a while you'd see kids throw each other into the water or canoes tipping over. Telling a friend you were taking summer school in Madison seemed like a joke because you both knew you would just be spending your days sitting at the Terrace.""
Today, the Union Terrace hosts numerous concerts and events, including the annual Homecoming Awards and Fireworks as well as Madison's Rhythm and Booms around the Fourth of July. As the ""backyard"" of the ""living room of the University,"" as former UW president Glenn Frank called it, the Terrace has become a landmark for relaxation, friends and fun. Time Magazine may have put it best when they said, ""It's almost impossible not to have a good time at the University of Wisconsin.\
