Three students are starting a new architecture club on campus.
Freshmen Lily Northon, Finn Rowan, and Seth Vasquez Estrada are co-founders of the club, which will promote the appreciation of architecture, as well as exploring future careers in the field.
Vasquez Estrada said he discovered that others were also interested in an architecture club during orientation.
“I was surprised there wasn’t one,” Vasquez Estrada said. “The idea kind of brewed in my mind for a while.”
Vasquez Estrada reached out to Northon and Rowan, with whom he shared classes, and decided to start the club.
“I was thinking of who to ask first and Lily, who was in both my physics and my calculus class, was also interested in architecture,” Vasquez Estrada said. “I decided to approach her first about it, and it turns out she had the exact same idea.”
Vasquez Estrada said the club had an opportunity to tour the construction site for the new classical education building.
“Lily contacted Patrick Keating from McCrery Architects, and we got to shadow them at the construction site,” Vasquez Estrada said. “He showed us the future plans for the buildings and the classical architectural elements of them.”
According to Northon, the club plans to take trips to nearby cities to study and admire its architecture.
“Chicago is relatively close by, and there’s lots of great architecture there,” Northon said. “Detroit has lots of great Art Deco architecture.”
Rowan said the club’s visits would be discussed during the weekly meetings.
“In our meetings, we would talk about different styles of architecture and match our visits so after we talked about it, we could actually see it,” Rowan said.
Vasquez Estrada said the club does not have to travel far to study great architecture.
“There’s lots of good architecture in Hillsdale as well, so we can start small and move from there,” he said.
Rowan said he appreciates the opportunity to create an outlet for students who are interested in architecture even if the college does not offer an architecture program.
According to Northon, the club plans to present to the Student Federation at a future meeting and hopes to table at The Re-Source next semester.
“We’re looking not only for those interested in architecture appreciation, but also those interested in future networking to learn about architecture as a profession,” Northon said. “I think we’re filling a gap on campus. We’ve met so many people who are interested in architecture. Our club can provide a chance for people to learn about and appreciate it.”