Hydraulic Lab

Apparently the hydraulic lab under the footbridge west of Beebe Lake collapsed recently.

Cornell Sun

Does anyone have any details? What are they doing with the debris? When exactly did it happen? Is there video of this? Will they put something else there or at least clean the cliff face to restore it to a natural look?

The article that you provided a link for has the answers to some of your questions right in it:

2
Does anyone have any details?

So far, the Sun article you posted is all I can find online.

2
What are they doing with the debris?

"The process of how the building’s debris will be cleaned up — if at all — is currently unknown."

2
When exactly did it happen?

All that's known is "end of last week." The earliest it seems anyone noticed it, according to The Sun article was Friday afternoon. I'm most amused that all the officials contacted by Monday night for the story, including the University's press relations office, as well as the CUPD and IPD were completely oblivious to the news.

2
Is there video of this?

Are you sure you're not billhoward? Do you want it in HD or would the standard-def slow motion video suffice? I'm going to say "no" on the possibility of a video existing. Considering this was most likely a spontaneous event caused by decay of the structure, the odds that someone with a video camera out and filming on Thurston Bridge at the exact time it happened are extremely low, unless it was an act of extreme vandalism, which would be a crime. Also, every inch of campus isn't covered by wecams, thankfully.

2
Will they put something else there or at least clean the cliff face to restore it to a natural look?

I'm sure University officials are at least due to discuss this. I'd be willing to bet big bucks that nothing will be built in it's place...the roads and infrastructure needed to access the old ruins no longer exist, and building something in the gorge like that would cost a lot and also be exposed for the same sort of decay.

Anyway, it's too bad. That was a landmark that I liked a great deal. The before/after pictures were quite surprising. Here's a fantastic photo of the Hydraulic lab which was posted 2 months ago on Flickr:
[www.flickr.com]

And MetaEzra has posted an old postcard image of the lab in its operational days:
[www.metaezra.com]

Does anyone know why the University never demolished the lab? I would have thought something structurally unsound would be condemned by some government body.

nyc94
Does anyone know why the University never demolished the lab? I would have thought something structurally unsound would be condemned by some government body.

Speculation, but probably because it was pretty.

RichH
The article that you provided a link for has the answers to some of your questions right in it:

I was asking the questions because the article didn't have real answers to all of those (as you showed), and I thought someone else might have heard more.

There was access to the lab from ground level at the southern end of the footbridge there. I just hope the school doesn't leave a mess there with bricks and beams sticking out of the cliff. I'm sure they'll have to clean the debris from the water.

I suspect any sort of excavation of the ruins will likely be very costly due to the remoteness of the location. Absent any sort of environmental concern a la the Gun Factory, don't expect the site to be cleaned up.

According to the Ithaca Journal, the site was once considered for remediation in the early 90s -- an alumni reception center would have been built. That would have been pretty damn cool, if you ask me.

[www.theithacajournal.com]

I may catch some flack for this, but I never thought the lab was particularly nice to look at. I thought it had great potential, but by the time I got there ('02-'06), it just looked like decaying trash.

I'd have loved it if they'd built a glass and steel structure into/around the existing stone structure for one of those hip new-plus-old looks.

mnagowski
I suspect any sort of excavation of the ruins will likely be very costly due to the remoteness of the location. Absent any sort of environmental concern a la the Gun Factory, don't expect the site to be cleaned up.

Right. But you still can't burn a dragon on St. Patrick's Day.