1925 - 1929

Humble Beginnings

The College of Design, Construction and Planning has grown drastically since starting as a school within a neighboring college. One hundred years later, we recount the intriguing stories and vital decisions made throughout the years that established DCP's legacy.

It all began in 1925, when a renowned architect, Rudolph Weaver, was appointed director of the newly established School of Architecture (SoA) at the University of Florida. SoA was placed within the College of Engineering and offered a four-year course leading to a Bachelor of Science in Architecture.

Four years later in 1929, the program grew apart from the engineering college and formed its own independent unit, known as the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

Weaver, who remained as SoA director until 1944, earned a national reputation as the architect to the State Board of Control of Institutions of Higher Learning and was responsible for campus planning for educational institutions around the state.

What do you know about the "Roaring Twenties?"

When you think about the 1920s, do you think of flappers, Henry Ford's Model T automobiles and famous film stars such as Charlie Chaplin? All these iconic images help shape the dynamic decade into what we remember today.

Excerpt from the 1929 UF Yearbook, The Seminole

"... For the first time the School of Architecture under the direction of Dr. Rudolph Weaver is sending out a group of graduates in architecture. These men too will soon take their place with other Florida graduates as leaders in their profession and an honor to one of the largest colleges of the University."

1930 - 1939

Tumultuous Times

It was a time of widespread unemployment and poverty that left the majority of us trembling at the thought of a Great Depression ever crossing our paths again. But how did this time of financial instability directly influence the university, or specifically, our college?

Roughly five years after the College's first establishment, documents from the 1930s indicated that the school kept a steady foot on the ground despite the surrounding downward-spiraling economy.

An excerpt from UF's 1933 yearbook "The Seminole," describes when the School of Architecture became an independent unit from engineering in 1929, the demand for additional courses grew along with the overall importance of the program.

The yearbook read, "Later there was a growing demand for additional courses in drawing, design, painting and other related subjects, so the scope of work was enlarged. On May, 1929, the name was changed to the School of Architecture and Allied Arts ... with a Director, Professor Rudolph Weaver, who has built the school into one of the most important units in the University."

Later, additional courses leading to the degree of a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Commercial Arts were created to meet those demands.

1940 - 1949

WWII Brings Changes to DCP

Right when the economy seemed to be bouncing back from the stock market crash, the 1940s brought the U.S. into yet another earth-shattering event: World War II.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. officially entered into the war, causing thousands of college-aged men to be drafted into the military. Whether you were a young entrepreneur entering college for the first time or a recent graduate hoping to start your profession, imagine immediately changing your plans in order to serve in the war.

Early records indicate that once the country became involved in the war, student enrollment plummeted, making it seemingly impossible for the college to progress forward in the early- to- mid 1940s. However, those statistics also show a great post-war student enrollment boom after the war ends in 1945, as thousands of students enlist and create a great spike in the charts.

Although the beginning of the 1940s seemed to be off to a rough start, by the end of the decade, DCP managed to add two more programs under the department of architecture: Interior Design in 1948 and Planning in 1949. The school even received a new director in the 1947: William T. Arnett.

The National Architecture Accrediting Board accredited the School of Architecture and Allied Arts in 1948, permitting it to become the College of Architecture and Allied Arts with Arnett as the dean.

1950 - 1959

A Time of Growth

The 1950s was a decade famously known for its post-war growth. The decade invited many out of the shadows into the light of the “booming” economy. Luckily, DCP has a few alumni from that decade to better explain what it was like to be a student during that time.

C. Frasuer Knight (BARC 1950-1953)

Building & Studio Location: In the beginning, it was housed in Building U, a WWII temporary building, located in the shadow of the main library. About half of us went on to "upper" division with the rest deciding to go into building construction, interior design or other fields. Upper division was in Building E, another wartime "temporary" building immediately west of the university administration building (which was under construction) and north of Grove Hall, which was a girls' dorm at the time.

Most Memorable Project: Projects began with abstract finger painting and matchstick sculpture to loosen us up. We progressed into basic building design and research with schematics and site planning. All presentations were in watercolor and ink. Most of the class and faculty were WWII veterans. I was part of a handful of students straight from high school who would benefit greatly from the determination of the veterans.

Our curriculum from then until graduation was a "project system." It was similar to real practice, with architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical-related to a program that usually lasted four to eight weeks. When a project was finished, it was graded and we moved on to a new one. There were no final exams; only a comprehensive one covering the five-year program at the end. History, interior design and related civil ran concurrently.

Favorite Faculty or Staff: Our most inspiring teacher was Ted Fearney, who was forward thinking and took us on field trips to buildings similar to our projects. It was he who assisted in the formation of the first student AIA chapter in the country. This organization sponsored a visiting architect program that included some of the greatest ones of that time including: Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, William Lescaze, George Nelson and Paul Rudolph. They provided much needed inspiration. A number of outstanding architects from around the state also came and provided us with grassroots knowledge. Except for Wright, they all visited our studios, critiqued our work and lectured. For Wright, Fearney rented the gymnasium for a ticked lecture available to everyone. It was a packed house and the excess proceeds went to the chapter for future activities.

1960 - 1969

A Changing World

It was 1969 and Gloria Mayberry, who was 42 at the time, was eager to begin her collegiate career. She pulled into a parking spot near the Administration Building in her little Volkswagen packed full with her belongings and proceeded to search for the building with the architecture classes.

"The woman at the admissions office told me, 'they don't take women in the architecture program,'" Mayberry said. "I told the woman, 'I came up here from Miami to go to school and all my stuff is out in the car in the parking lot. I need to see the Architecture Building. I have a reservation with Herrick Smith.'"

Ten years ago, we met with her for the college's 90th anniversary. The then-88-year-old landscape architect still resonated with the same spirit as she did 56 years ago, as she glanced out her back window at the towering trees surrounding her home and recalled her first time arriving on campus. "I walked over to the architecture building and was mesmerized," she said. "It was beautiful. The building was surrounded by beautiful oak trees, and I was just in love with the atmosphere—the University and I fell in love, and I knew I was destined to be there."

Mayberry said she met with Smith that day, who was the landscape architecture chair at the time, and remembered him encouraging her to enroll for classes, but also warning her that she would be greatly outnumbered by her male colleagues. "He says to me, 'you know you'll be our only woman, right?'" she said. "But my time there was just great. I never had any misgivings, and I enjoyed learning and going on field trips." However, that didn't mean she never received special attention.

"Of course since I was the only woman there, I got a lot of male attention," Mayberry said with a gentle laugh. "I had no problem finding dates." There was a time when a fellow classmate advised her that others were taking note of her while she sat on a high stool in class wearing a dress. She said she went straight to the store that day and bought the most colorful pants she could find. "And within that same year, women started wearing pants," she said. Although records are uncertain, Mayberry believes there may have been one woman in the program before she started, but also noted that many women started coming to campus towards the end of her school career.

After graduation, Mayberry served as a consultant for countless years, but still found time to tend to the wildlife surrounding her house, making sure that every plant in her yard was as beautiful as it was the day before. "I always knew that I wanted to do landscape architecture," she said. "I was born a landscape architect."

1970 - 1979

Peace, Love and Rock n' Roll

The Seventies was a time of pivotal change among our country's social progressive values and economic upheavals. But what was it like being a college student during those times? Two of DCP's former faculty members were students here in the 1970s and fondly remember what it was like being a student at that time.

"It was a great time to be a student," said Tina Gurucharri, former chair and associate professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, who was a DCP student from 1973-78. "It was exciting to be here at a time when things were quite rich." Many might remember the decade as a time of protests, hippies and streakers. "We were all hippies," she said. "We were very environmentally conscious in a time of environmental crisis."

Peggy Carr, former professor and director of the Program in Sustainability and the Built Environment, who was a DCP student from 1972-75, recalls the Vietnam War being a very influential factor during the 1970s. "The war really weighed heavily on all our minds," she said. "We had several veterans in our classes." Carr describes a scene from 1972 when a major protest took place in Gainesville after the U.S. invaded Cambodia. "We took over 13th Street and University Avenue," Carr said. "It was rough." Even though Carr and her fellow female students were a distinct minority in the program at the time, she said there was never a sense of discrimination. The all-male faculty and male classmates were welcoming and supportive. Carr remembers fondly the interdisciplinary classes taken in lower division, but also special courses in the upper division. She went with such a group to the Yucatan lead by Bernie Voichysonk.

However, social issues weren't the only thing prevalent during the 1970s. In 1975, the College of Architecture and Fine Arts was split into two separate entities: the College of Architecture and the College of Fine Arts. At the time, the College of Architecture was composed of the Department of Architecture, Department of Building Construction and programs in Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning with Arnold Butt as the Dean.

1980 - 1989

A Decade of Change

What was it like to be at DCP in the 1980s? To help us answer that question, we have an alumni story to share.

Dave Davis (BDES 1986)

Studio was more than individual design work, it was training for our future lives working in teams. And team dynamics are never easy. In addition to teaching us his perspective drawing technique (that I use to this day) Harry Merritt introduced our studio to the Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80-20 rule.

The day had turned into night and then the following morning, and most of us worked through it all on the base model that we planned to use for the studio's work that semester. But there were one or two classmates that had other places to be, and all the coffee and Skeeters Big Biscuits seemed to bring out the worst in the rest of us as we complained to Harry about our plight. That's when the Pareto Principle came out. Without lecturing us on the selfishness of our whining, or accepting our complaints, he simply commenced to name about twenty different things that met the Principle's concept. He started with, "20 percent of the items on the menu are ordered by 80 percent of the people" and his thoughts continued until he finally said, " ... and 20 percent of the people in this world do 80 percent of the work and the sooner you simply accept that fact and get on with it, the sooner we get this model finished."

And that was that. But the philosophy he introduced us to was one of the more lasting notions of my architectural education. And I can honestly say that Harry’s lesson, along with the design education I received at the UF College of Architecture, has served me well through a Naval Career and a second career as a nurse. Thanks again to Harry Merritt for the design education and, more importantly, the life lessons you shared with us.

1990 - 1999

An Interdisciplinary Approach

What can a second-year design student, a construction management senior and a graduate student in urban and regional planning learn from each other? A lot, as the Witters Competition has demonstrated for the past 32 years. The college's legendary competition began in 1993 as an opportunity for the individual disciplines to work together during an annual problem-solving exercise.

The yearly design competition was created through an endowment sponsored by Colonel and Mrs. Arthur G. Witters of Orlando, Florida. The Witters wanted to provide students with the opportunity to better understand each discipline's role in various projects. While in school, students primarily work with others in their own discipline. But once students graduated, they would work with the other college disciplines nearly every day.

The competition fosters cooperation among the designers, construction managers and planners by providing the chance for interdisciplinary student teams to work together on a real-world project and learn more about what each discipline brings to the table. Structured as a charette, students work around the clock for 72 hours on a different problem, from redevelopment and creative reuse to preserving historic homes to envisioning new buildings. Each year, a DCP faculty member developed the problem and led the competition process.

For many years, the Witters had traveled to watch the final team presentations. After the 2007 competition, Colonel Witters said, "We started this competition so all disciplines in the college could talk and work with one another. Your hard work this weekend made it possible and we are very proud of all of you."

Although the Witters have passed away, the family is still involved. Their grandson, Tucker Ryals, has been a Witters Competition Committee member for years and serves as one of the competition jurors. Other family members visit for the final presentations as well.

DCP alumni story from our 90th anniversary ten years ago:

"While an undergrad student, I met a delightful young man the 'Building E' Architecture Building. Moved back to Gainesville in late 80's to get my Master of Architecture degree—in 1991. That 'young man' and I just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary! Good things can happen in Gainesville.”

— Linda Rickman, BDES 1963, MARCH 1991

2000 - 2009

The New Millennium

What better way to celebrate the early 2000s than by remembering the completion of Rinker Hall in 2003, which was awarded the gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Rating System. Rinker Hall was the first in Florida, and was only the 26th building in the United States to receive gold certification from LEED.

Neal Schafers, MLA 2007

Favorite Faculty: Maria Tina Gurucharri,Peggy Carr and Gail Hansen. All three of these teachers were some of the best instructors I have ever had the privilege of learning from. They are all extremely knowledgeable and passionate in what they do; but more than that, they actually take a vested interest in their students and their respective futures.

Memorable Project: The Witter's competition—a multi-disciplinary competition featuring teams made up of architects, landscape architects, urban/regional planners, construction managers and interior designers. Our team consisting of Key Ray, Jennifer Mackey, Andrea Colbert, Antonia Mariassy, Iris Patten, and myself Neal Schafers won the competition in 2006. Our design for the restoration and preservation of the Cotton Club to the Spring Hill Community beat out numerous other designs and presentation by a very talented field. But above all, the greatest feeling was the sense of actually serving a part of the community, whose needs were often overlooked.

Favorite Place on Campus:

1. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp. No better place on Earth on Game Day!
2. Architecture Building courtyard. Tossing the Frisbee on the grass under sunshine between classes.
3. Anywhere but the studio. That place was basically your home for 3 years.

Favorite Memory: On the night the Gators Basketball team won their first national championship, a large group of us celebrated well into the night/following morning. However, the next day I had a presentation to give at 8 a.m., so with only a couple hours of sleep, and perhaps slightly hungover, I biked back to campus. On the way, I actually got into a bike accident, because I could barely stay awake. However, despite being bloodied and shaken up, I still made it to class, and actually gave a pretty good presentation. The moral of the story: never underestimate the dedication and tenacity of Gator students!

2010 - 2019

A New Era Begins: OneDCP

In 2016, Dean Chimay Anumba arrived from Penn State and started his OneDCP initiative. This collaborative effort brought all the academic disciplines together to work with each other as they would in the workplace.

This initiative would usher in an era of interdisciplinary research within the college's academic units and with other colleges as well.

Monica Butcher, BSCM 2019

Favorite Project: It was honestly our senior Capstone. I was able to take everything I learned from classes and internships and apply it to this project. It covered all the topics of scheduling, estimating, BIM modeling, logistics, work plans, and pro forma reviews. Looking back at the final project deliverables, I was proud of the work I did while challenging myself to grow in this industry.

Favorite Place: It was truly Rinker Hall. I practically lived there 5 days a week and it became a second home for me. I loved all of the staff and faculty there which made it feel like family.

Favorite Memory: My study abroad trip to Italy with Dr. Russell. That trip was something I thought I would never be able to do in my lifetime and I wish I could do it all over again. It's hard to understand everything that went into the architecture and craftmanship of these historic buildings until you're there in person. We traveled to so many cities and that is definitely a trip I will never forget!

Favorite Faculty or Staff: Dr. Mark Russell and Dr. Bryan Franz. Both professors took so much time and dedication to ensure all the students were successful. I always looked forward to going to their classes because they were able to make it such a fun learning environment.

2020 - 2025

Adapt and Move Forward

The year 2020 started with optimism but quickly shifted as the COVID pandemic led to a global shutdown in March. The university, like many institutions, had to pivot quickly to an online learning model until in-person instruction became safe again. Faculty, students, and staff proved adaptable as they kept the college moving forward in a new way.

The big focus for the University of Florida became artificial intelligence (AI), which spurred the college to develop new AI curriculum to go along with new specialized faculty hires. Thanks to UF's partnership with NVIDIA, AI is the centerpiece of a major, long-term initiative that will make the university a leader in that research and development.

While a big focus of the college's AI efforts are digital twins - virtual models of real-world entities such as buildings - there was also impact felt at the college’s physical buildings. Many alumni stepped up to help name the facilities at DCP. Due to their generosity, students will be benefit greatly from these improved facilities for the next 100 years.