In an attempt to enhance the emergency response system at Northwestern, three campus street names and 35 building addresses were changed at the beginning of the month.
The new addresses will decrease the time it takes for emergency vehicles to reach a certain building, said Dale Gregor, assistant director of planning facilities management.
“We wanted 911 to be more effective and more efficient,” she said.
Both the university and Evanston Police Department are taking measures to improve the 911 system, Gregor said.
“Hopefully, it will make it easier to identify particular buildings,” she said. “The whole process of renumbering buildings and renaming streets will really improve the time it takes for an emergency vehicle to get to a certain place.”
NU’s facilities management worked with Evanston to implement the changes, which went into effect Sept. 2.
A major difference is that buildings on North Campus Drive and South Campus Drive now have Campus Drive addresses. Norris University Center, Annenberg Hall, Kemper Hall, and Sports Pavilion and Aquatic Center, among others, all have Campus Drive addresses.
In addition, certain buildings that previously had a Sheridan Road address now are listed as having a Campus Drive address, including Annie May Swift Hall and Ayers College of Commerce and Industry.
“The reality is that buildings that were a quarter-mile away from Sheridan Road had a Sheridan Road address,” said Al Cubbage, vice president for university relations. “Now (the new addresses) make it a little more clear.”
Along with the changing of building addresses, three new street names were formed.
Six buildings on the south side of campus now have an address of Arts Circle Drive, including Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and Regenstein Hall of Music. Four buildings on the north side of campus near the Technological Institute have a Tech Drive address, including Dearborn Observatory and Mudd Science and Engineering Library.
Although no particular incident prompted these changes, Cubbage said the gradual process began six months ago. He added that university addresses now tie into the address system of the city of Evanston.
“We were trying to be proactive instead of waiting for something to happen,” Gregor said. “There is no longer a haphazard system.”
