The Extraordinary Law Quad
Living and Learning, Studying and Socializing
The striking Gothic-style buildings that form the William W. Cook Law Quadrangle include the Lawyers Club, with residential facilities for approximately 260 students, most of whom have private rooms; the Legal Research building, which contains the magnificent Reading Room, Center for International and Comparative Law, and faculty offices; a modern underground library addition, the Allan F. and Alene Smith Library, regarded as an architectural tour de force and one of the world's best law libraries; and Hutchins Hall, with classrooms, seminar rooms, and faculty and administrative offices. By January 2012, our existing facilities will be further enlarged by both a new four-story academic building constructed in modified collegiate Gothic style, as well as a gorgeous new glass-roofed gathering place for the Law School community, the Aikens Commons. The result, physically as well as metaphorically, will enhance our true community of law.
The Quad’s beauty and functionality is a factor both in student satisfaction and in the School’s programmatic success. The location of residential and academic buildings within the Quad fosters the integration of activities for both students and faculty. In addition, the excellence of Michigan’s library, the concentration of scholars, and the serenity of the setting attract numerous visitors within the profession. Those visiting lawyers, judges, and law faculty enhance the experience of living and studying in the Quad. One result of this architectural design—sensed immediately even by entering students—is an ethos of collegiality and accessibility regardless of the age, reputation, or career achievement of those who walk its paths and corridors. It’s therefore hardly surprising that interactions at the neighboring coffee shops, restaurants, bistros, and bars are frequent between faculty and students, as well as among students.
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