The destroyed buildings were eventually replaced, of course, but two beautiful campus areas were created almost immediately from the ruins and ugliness left by the fire.

Originally the site of “Old Baldwin”, the Sunken Garden was created in the indention left by the building’s basement. Sitting on the quad behind Kirk Memorial, it is now a beautifully landscaped, serene and quiet place where students and campus visitors can sit out of the sun in shady gazebos or sprawl on the grass to study or relax with friends.

Normal Pond, immediately north of the burning buildings, was drained in a futile effort to stem the blaze. As soon as the ruins cooled, the empty pond and stream bed were filled with rubble and the area was sodded over to create “The Quad”, the tree covered park in the center of campus. It is the site of numerous campus events as well as being a place of casual recreation and relaxation.