The football plaque on Olin Quad
The home plate plaque on Olin Quad
For Bradley students, Olin Quad is a staple of student life and activities on campus. The intertwining sidewalks, flamboyant red chairs and grassy patches have been used for a variety of things such as movies, shows, philanthropy events and studying.
What students may not notice as they walk to class are the plaques adjacent to the sidewalks, representing the athletic field that once stood in place of the quad. The football, seen when traveling on the outskirts of the quad, marks where the goal posts were and the plate, which can be seen next to one of the black benches, marks the former location of home for the baseball team.
Elizabeth Bloodworth, an assistant in special collections in the Cullom-Davis Library, thinks having these plaques is useful to preserve the campus’s history.
“It is important to remember the past uses of various places on campus so we can better understand how our university has grown and changed over the years,” Bloodworth said.
The 1956 Bradley baseball team donated the home plate plaque in honor of their 50th anniversary. The team, which placed third in the NCAA College World Series, wanted to show the tradition of the site on the Hilltop, and Bloodworth thinks it is a good representation of exactly that.
“Personally, I enjoy the subtlety of the current plaques,” Bloodworth said. “The only change I would suggest is incorporating an early image of the athletic field as that would assist students in visualizing how the area was used previously.”
Picture of the athletic field from 1922
In the beginning, the campus only had two main buildings: Bradley Hall and Horology Hall (what is now Westlake Hall). Tennis courts were also featured, but nothing compared to the 100-plus yard field that would dominate the landscape.
The field was built in 1899 to feature baseball and football games directly on campus. In 1901, a track was built around the field and competitions were held there right away. For sophomore business management and leadership major Joe Nalewajk, it would be strange to see the field on campus today.
“I think it’d be a little weird if you’re just walking in the middle of a field to go to your science class,” Nalewajk said.
An early picture of the quad from 1964
The field ceased its use in 1963 to make room for Swords Hall, Olin Hall and the parking lot that goes along Elmwood Avenue. The first renditions of the quad students know today went up a year later, although it was only two sidewalks at the time.
Football has been missing at Bradley since 1970 and the baseball team plays its home games at Dozer Park downtown. As for track and field, they do not currently have a home facility. For freshman mechanical engineering major Peyton Girard, the lack of access needs to change.
“Especially if you don’t have a car on campus, it’s kind of hard to get [to Dozer],” Girard said. “You have to find someone with a car and as a freshman, sometimes that’s difficult.”
View of the athletic field from Bradley Hall in 1911
Nalewajk, on the other hand, likes where the university is situated with its athletic facilities.
“We’re already not too big of a campus, so I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” Nalewajk said. “But I mean, the closer the better, right?”
Despite its use in the past, Bloodworth believes the quad is well utilized today.
“The quad serves as a space for students to gather and hold small events today,” Bloodworth said. “I don’t think the quad is large enough to hold any athletic events, but it would be cool to see students come up with creative uses for the outdoor space.”
Girard, who’s in a sorority, shares this same viewpoint.
“[My sorority] does our philanthropy events on the quad and I feel like on the alumni quad it would be a lot different,” Girard said.
A map of campus from 1960