Staff Ed: UNL makes the right decision in keeping Industrial Arts Building

Instead of being demolished, the Industrial Arts Building will receive renovation for research space, according to a Jan. 9 Daily Nebraskan article by Dan Holtmeyer. Using the available space and preserving a building built in 1913 is the best of both worlds.  

The Daily Nebraskan supports this decision by the university. Using the Industrial Arts Building as a part of Innovation Campus is a savvy move. Destroying the Industrial Arts Building would have been a waste, but so would letting the building sit idly.

In 2008, the Industrial Arts Building was scheduled to be demolished after consultants said it should be torn down. But the university couldn't find a proposal worth the price. Last September, Nebraska Nova Development LLC said it could save some of the building.

In an ideal world, the Industrial Arts Building would be a historical landmark and be preserved as such. But keeping the historical outside in good condition and changing the inside of the building so it's modern and able to grow plants in greenhouses is a pragmatic choice. The space will allow university professors to conduct state-of-the-art research, and students will have research and internship opportunities as well.

Opinion@dailynebraskan.com