Staying Power
DU’s longtime and recently retired architect Mark Rodgers explains why DU has some of the most breathtaking buildings in Denver—and how it will stay that way into the future.
Are you a Romanticist, drawn to the Roman arches of University Hall? Or does the Southwestern Mission style of Buchtel Tower speak to you? Maybe you like the Mary Reed Building and are captivated by the pre-WWII collegiate gothic era—or you are a mid-century modernist at home in Centennial Halls. Regardless, DU’s campus is a century-long symphony of architectural expression.
But designing buildings that inspire and where students learn, grow, and define their futures is no easy task. Just ask Mark Rodgers, DU’s architect for the past 31 years. As he retires after more than three decades of service, we sat down with him to discuss what it takes to maintain DU’s distinctive architectural aesthetic.
Many may be surprised to hear that DU has an in-house architect. Is that common?
University architects do exist. Often, they tend to be at large institutions. A lot of times, universities choose to have an architect because they expect to build a lot and want to shift the architectural character of the campus in some way—or because there’s a broader context they value. It depends on who’s leading the institution and whether they want it to stand out, blend in, become more cohesive—or, in some cases, intentionally celebrate a variety of stylistic statements.
You say that former Chancellor Dan Ritchie changed the approach to building on campus in the 90s. How so?
Instead of asking, “What style should we do?” Ritchie asked, “What can I do to make a building last?” Think about roofs. It’s not that someone said, “I love copper, it’s pretty,” or that steep roofs look better. The priority is getting rain and snow off the building. A flat roof is, essentially, a bathtub—and eventually, bathtubs leak, especially if you expect to use the same one for hundreds of years. As for walls, what should they be made of? Brick is a solid choice for a number of reasons. It’s low maintenance, doesn’t need to be repainted over and over, and it complements the architectural character of the campus.
What makes a great campus building?
It’s not just an outside view of a wall or a shape. It has to do with how well it functions. Does it serve the purpose it was built for, or at least the purpose you’re using it for now? Chancellor Haefner talks about the program that we need the buildings to serve. And not just the individual building, but the programmatic synergies that makes sense for the collection with the neighboring buildings.
You say DU’s buildings are like children and you can’t possibly choose a favorite, but can you break the rule just this one time?
There are buildings that have meant a lot for very personal reasons. My wife is also an architect, and we spent one of our early anniversaries on the floor in a hotel room with drawings for the Fisher Center. And for the groundbreaking, a sandbox was the centerpiece, and our oldest daughter and son, [Senior Associate Architect] Jane Lofgren’s son Ian, and the Fishers’ grandchildren were placed in the sandbox with construction equipment—and they “broke ground.”
Probably the most surprising building that far exceeded any expectations was the Anderson Academic Commons. In 1972, Penrose was a monolithic, faceless, characterless box that had some of the most wonderful folks in it. And yet, you walked in and saw miles of bookcases. A lot of orange and purple, mostly orange. All of a sudden it changed. Now it opens up in the center, there’s light and, when you need to, you can find a cocoon, a quiet place that you can study.
In 2023, Princeton Review ranked it as the No. 1 collegiate library in America. And you go, okay, architecture is pretty cool, right?
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