FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 01, 2003
CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE TO DEDICATE THREE HELMICK COMMONS PROJECTS SATURDAY

Drake University will dedicate three major landscaping projects on Helmick Commons at noon Saturday, Oct. 4. The dedication of Quad Creek, Lane Plaza and Principal Plaza will take place at a tent in the middle of Helmick Commons on the west side of the Drake campus.

The projects, totaling $570,000, have helped transform a barren field into an inviting landscape where students live, relax and play. Helmick Commons, which encompasses eight different projects, extends from University Avenue to Forest Avenue and from 28th Street through 31st Street. The three projects to be dedicated Saturday were designed by renowned landscape architect Tony Tyznik and the architectural firm of Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck. Larson and Larson Construction served as the general contractor for all three projects.

Quad Creek, adjacent to Carpenter, Crawford, Herriott and Stalnaker residence halls, was made possible by a $100,000 gift from Peggy Fisher, a 1970 Drake graduate, and her husband, Larry Stelter. Their gift was prompted by Fisher’s warm memories of student life in Carpenter Residence Hall and her desire to enhance Quad Creek so that future generations of students could enjoy it as she had. Fisher will speak at the dedication along with Drake President David Maxwell and David Miles, chair of the Drake Board of Trustees.
Quad Creek is designed to imitate a dry pond with weathered limestone outcropping hinting of the pond’s outline. A simulated dry stream flows through it, punctuated with large rocks and plants. Larger outcrops enable seating where individuals or small groups can relax in the intrigue of Quad Creek’s unique tranquility. Quad Creek’s landscape is designed to integrate the land’s contour with plant forms, color, texture, seasonal changes, the sound of wind and soothing patterns of light.

Adjacent to Meredith Hall, Lane Plaza was funded by a $200,000 gift from Melvin and Joan Lane and Bill and Jean Lane in memory of their parents, Laurence W. and Ruth Bell Lane. Ruth Bell Lane was a Drake trustee and the daughter of Hill M. Bell, who served as president of Drake from 1903 to 1918. Laurence W. Lane was an executive with Meredith Corp. who later purchased Sunset magazine in California. Since the Lane family is unable to attend the dedication, Don Adams, a friend of the family and a longtime Drake administrator, will speak on the family’s behalf. Adams said the Lane family’s interest in publishing makes it appropriate for Lane Plaza to be located next to Meredith Hall, which houses Drake’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Lane Plaza incorporates simple forms with traditional materials to create a welcoming entrance to Meredith Hall. Granite cobbles provide a contrast to the strong architectural lines of the building, and granite benches placed under the shade of a flowering tree offer students an inviting space to relax with friends or catch up with their studies. With Meredith Hall’s prominent location at the crossroads of Drake’s primary east/west pedestrian corridor, Lane Plaza serves as a gateway into Helmick Commons and is a centerpiece of the Drake campus.

Principal Plaza, located between Olmsted Center and Aliber Hall, was made possible by a $270,000 gift from The Principal Financial Group Foundation. Libby Jacobs, director of corporate relations for The Principal Financial Group and a member of the Drake Board of Trustees, will speak at the dedication.

This project was developed to transform the front of Olmsted Center from a circle driveway to a picturesque meeting point on campus. The driveway was removed and various types of seating were installed along with trees, plants and accent lighting. The project provides various scales of space throughout the plaza for both informal student groups and larger campus events.

Helmick Commons was initiated by the late Robert H. Helmick, a Drake alumnus and member of the Drake Board of Trustees who spearheaded the initial landscaping projects on the west side of the campus. In addition to the three projects to be dedicated Saturday, Helmick Commons includes the Kragie Newell Agora, Scott Branson Plaza, Professor Paul and Dorothy Helmick Courtyard, Wells Fargo Financial Reflecting Pool and Wells Fargo Bank Gardens.