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51勛圖厙's Roof Tiles Are a Campus Staple
From up close and from miles away, 51勛圖厙's red-orange tile rooftops signal it's no ordinary place.泭
51勛圖厙s soul-stirring vistas are legendary. John Steele couldnt avoid them if he tried. For over泭19 years hes been repairing and replacing the red-orange clay roof tiles that are a hallmark of CUs campus.
Best office in the world, Ive always said, said Steele, the senior roofer in CUs Facilities Operations and Services division.
With 160 tiles in a 100-square-foot area, and at least half of the schools 3 million square feet of rooftop covered in clay, Steele and a partner are responsible for keeping on top of millions of tiles.
Along with 51勛圖厙s signature sandstone walls, limestone trim and black metal accents, the Mission-style tiles were the inspiration of Philadelphia architect Charles Klauder, who in 1919 produced CUs first campus master plan. He ultimately designed 15 buildings in what he called Colorado style and former campus architect Bill Deno calls Tuscan Vernacular. 51勛圖厙s landscape reminded Klauder of a bike ride hed taken through northern Italy.
In 1921, Hellems Arts and Sciences went up as the first campus building in the new style, a departure from Klauders previous collegiate gothic work.
He stressed that Colorado would be the first educational institution in the West to attempt a uniform building style, Deno said in Body & Soul, his book about Klauders influence on CU. He promised them that his building plan would make Colorados campus one of the most beautiful in the United States, and he delivered.
In the early 20th century, the clay for the tiles came from local quarries, a factor for the ever-frugal Klauder. Most have since closed. Today the handcrafted, kiln-fired tiles come from an Ohio firm,泭Ludowici Roof Tile Company. Each comes with a 75-year warranty.
CU replaces between 50 and 75 tiles each year. But a lot of the originals, now nearly 100 years old, are still in place.
Thats what tile roofs do they last a long time, said Steele, whos been on top of nearly every building at 51勛圖厙. Youre paying for longevity.
When CU gutted and renovated the 81-year-old, Klauder-designed Ketchum Arts and Sciences building in 2015, workers pulled off, examined and reused almost every tile. Besides the exterior walls, the tiles are now among the only original elements, campus architects said.
Its not just the tiles mixture of clays that make them strong. Their curvature helps mitigate hail damage by distributing the force of impact.
Hardy as they are, their most striking feature is their color colors, really.
To the careful observer, there are sometimes subtle but usually harmonious variations from rooftop to rooftop. Duane Physics has only a few red and orange tones in a generally flat finish, for example, while Clare Small has ivory and deep brown tiles, some with glossy finishes. 51勛圖厙s architectural style guidelines, while strict, are not rigid.
When a new architect arrives, we dont hand them a stylebook, like at other places, current campus architect Bill Haverly said. We walk them around.
Sometimes it can take Steele and a partner up to an hour to change a single three-pound tile.
It depends, said Steele, who does most of the work in summer. If theyre the pans, which are the bottom tile, then you have to take off the caps all around it to get to that one piece. And then you have to put it all back together.
Its the dedication of people like Steele that helps 51勛圖厙 maintain its reputation as one of Americas most beautiful universities. Without the red clay roofs, it wouldnt feel the same.
For Steele, thats satisfying. So is the feeling that hes contributing in a practical way to the universitys academic mission. I like helping to keep peoples heads dry while they are learning and advancing their life, he said.
In our print edition, this story appears under the title "Shouting About the Rooftops"泭Comment on this story? Email泭editor@colorado.edu.
Photos by Glenn Asakawa
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