Marshall University Architectural Guide
by Carlos Bozzoli, Architect
The John Deaver Drinko Academy

Twin Towers East and West

  
Current use:
Fifteen-story student residence with a capacity of approximately 1000 students.The East tower is occupied by men, and the West one is occupied by women. These towers offers a large lobby, weight room, computer room. A cafeteria, which connects both towers is located on the first floor.
Location: 
Fifth Avenue, at the east side of Campus.
Designers:
L. D. Schmidt Jr., Architect, Fairmont, WV.
Completed: 
1969
Name: 
For its almost total similarity.

This group of buildings was conceived with a straightforward interpretation of the late-modern architectural design of the 1960’s. The two huge volumes are posed on a wide, extensive ground floor unit that houses the entrances, cafeteria and several facilities. This part has full height openings like curtain wall windows, or entrances with glazed, aluminum-framed fascias above them. Walls are of red brick, and appear completely bare of any different feature except very slight receding stripes that marks each story. The fenestration of the towers follows strict and sober criteria: openings are located only on vertical stripes that run over their remaining height (14 floors). As a consequence, openings do not appear as being holes in a massive block, and therefore removes an exaggerated, weighty look that otherwise these towers would give.

It is perhaps to this restrained, contained architectural expression that the mere effect of size due to its hugeness is counterbalanced, and the tower’s presence in the campus has a secondary role if compared with other smaller buildings.