Powerhouse Studio, the end of the design years

Remembering the soft light filling every cranky niche and corner reminds of the struggle to keep the old building from falling into complete disrepair. Trash buckets sat atop nearly every desk, ready to catch full gushing rain as it slid trough gaping roof cracks. Unmaintained by Cal Poly and the CAED, the structure was written off as 'safe'. The last day of continuous operation of the Powerhouse Studio was the first day of Paul Neel's new deanship. Neel's resume featured a stint as the state architect . The 'earthquake dangers' posed by the old structure gave a perfect opening for shutting it down. It became a haven for the police employees to work on their projects... so much for the earthquake danger rhetoric. Now, having been placed on the National Historic Register by Rob Strom and his two colleagues [Randy?], the building was saved from silly bulldozing. The studio spirit and functions, were relocated to Room 301 of the Architecture building, leave traces there even to this day.