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to view a photograph)
Following the completion of our major construction project in the fall of 1997, a strange piece of Michigan sandstone appeared near the south entry to the Law School's atrium - the Wisconsin Law Alumni Association Student Lounge. Few current students had seen this piece because, from the beginning of construction in 1994, it had been in storage. Consequently few knew of its significance.
The Gargoyle was one of two that graced the roof of the original
Law Building, built on Bascom Hill in 1893. Until that building was torn down in
1962, these two sentinels watched the
comings and goings of students, faculty and staff. When the
wrecking ball hit the building, no one thought of saving them until
then-Dean George Young, walking up Bascom Hill, noticed that one
had survived its fall and lay intact on the grass. Dean Young
immediately decided that it should be preserved. When the new
building opened, Dean Young had it installed outside the main
entrance. Over the next thirty years, the
Gargoyle once again watched over the School.
Gargoyles originally appeared on French gothic cathedrals.
From the beginning they had at least
two purposes: many were made with open mouths that served as drains
to divert rain water away from the building's foundations. Whether
they carried water or not, their second purpose was to scare away
evil spirits. While gargoyles were often grotesque, stone carvers
also honored friends and relatives by carving their faces on some
gargoyles. Ours does not have a recognizable face (unless it is
perhaps that awful professor who . . . ., but that's another
story), nor was it ever used to divert rainwater, but it clearly
worked to keep away evil spirits - hence the good fortune of our
School and its graduates.
For many years the School of Engineering was located in what is
now the School of Education building, directly across the Hill. A
heated rivalry developed, resulting in various pranks to celebrate
St. Patrick's Day. In the 1920's, engineering students
and law students took turns disrupting the annual St. Pat's Parade
on State Street. Both groups claim to have purchased boxcar loads
of eggs, left unrefrigerated until well rotted. Hauled to a rooftop
overlooking the parade route, they were thrown at the other side
during the parade.
While we feared that the engineers might steal our Gargoyle,
when the time came to remove it for safe-keeping during our recent
construction, the Gargoyle proved its mettle: it took four men and
a forklift two days to pry it from its roots! Nevertheless, pranks and the weather
did take a toll on the Gargoyle. A close inspection reveals that
repairs have been done to the Gargoyle's ears and nose. One
particularly cold and snowy winter, they literally froze off.
When it was reinstalled in the
Atrium, the Gargoyle also showed the effects of its most recent
spray painting.
Concern for the Gargoyle's future led us to have a mold made
with the help of the Art Department. From the mold we have cast two
concrete replicas which can make guest appearances if the "real"
Gargoyle is otherwise occupied. One of these replicas was given to
Cliff Thompson on his retirement as Dean in 1990.
In addition to painting the Gargoyle periodically, generations
of law students took to decorating the Gargoyle with appropriate
clothing and props. From time to time, it was even joined by
celebrity guests.
In the years since Dean Young rescued the original, the Gargoyle has become the symbol of the School: it lends its name to our alumni magazine, it graces the cover of the Wisconsin Law Review, and its image has been applied to ties, coffee cups, tee shirts and even wrist watches. While few would call it handsome, its strength, longevity and good fortune are appropriate to lend to one of the oldest and finest law schools in the country.
Let the other schools have their horses, gladiators or rodents. We have the good stone Gargoyle.