sample gates PLAZA RESTORATION

The Sample Gates plaza is the premiere public space on the campus of Indiana University and is often seen in promotional material and in televised advertisements. It is a beloved destination for visitors and recent graduates to pose for a quick photo.  Erected as a generous donation from the Sample family in 1987, the physical conditions of the pavement and walls within the space degraded over time to unsightly and potentially unsafe conditions.  Anderson + Bohlander provided design services, construction documentation and administration for the restoration of the brick paving and raised landscape beds.  It was imperative to the University that the degraded conditions be remedied, but in a manner that respected and maintained the existing look and feel due to the strong emotional ties to the space from administration, past and present students, and the surrounding community. While Anderson + Bohlander’s design maintained and reused much of the historic brick edging, it also incorporated subtle changes, including locally sourced limestone walls on the east side of the gate pillars. The design also provided soldier course edging in many locations. Finally, the effort included an update to the adjacent limestone paver plaza at the east entry to Bryan Hall facing Dunn’s Woods.