Campus is home to a lot of research and teaching and thinking, but plenty of people are needed to make the physical campus work — from heating and cooling, to landscaping, to renovations. For more than a century, a lot of those services were done by employees in the Service Building and Service Annex.

Soon, the Service Building and Service Annex will be torn down to make way for the new School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) building. Its operations, including the sheet metal shop, the lock shop and the carpentry workshop, are moving to locations around campus.

The buildings’ long history on campus, and the contributions of their occupants over the years, were celebrated Wednesday at an event planned by the Division of Facilities Planning & Management. “This group was like family,” said Don Schlagenhaft, senior architect in the physical plant. “You can always be yourself.”

The Wisconsin Historical Society will preserve architectural pieces of the buildings — some to be reused in future UW buildings — and oral histories are being gathered. The Service Building was built in 1910 and enlarged in 1921. It was designed by then-university architect Arthur Peabody, who designed more than 70 campus buildings — including Memorial Union and Camp Randall Stadium.

1 Around 450 current and past employees gathered to celebrate at the Service Building and Annex commemoration event. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

2 Don Chisholm, a retired UW electrician (1968-2007), shares stories about his years of work in the Service Building. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

3 Displays of historic photos and invitations for attendees to share their stories through an oral history project were featured. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

4 Visitors admire the circular window and architecture on the west side of the Service Building. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

5 From left to right, Jason Goddard and Jose Molina Ruano, carpenters at the finishing shop, tour the Service Building. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

6 Irma Smith and Mitch Smith, daughter and grandson of retired UW electrician Don Chisholm, look through a retrospective photo board at the event. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

7 Melissa Marecek, a UW plumber for the last 16 years, and Bill Tim, a retired electrician who worked at the UW for 16 years, warmly greet each other. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

8 Visitor walk out of the Service Building, designed more than a century ago by Arthur Peabody. Photo by: Althea Dotzour

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