An ear to the stones: Paul Chinowsky

An ear to the stones: Paul Chinowsky

From The Ampersand by Erika Randall

June 3, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 5 · Episode 2

About this episode

This episode explores the architectural history of CU Boulder and its reflection of institutional identity, featuring guest Paul Chinowsky.

Institutions of higher education frequently work to understand its purpose and values. This process of shaping identities can often be seen in their buildings, where the choices of style and substance reflect what leaders hope to accomplish. This week on The Ampersand, Erika walks CU Boulder’s Quad to explore how our institution’s self-understanding shifted from its founding at Old Main to the Ivy-informed Hale; from Macky’s conglomeration of style to the library’s cohesion under the Tuscan Vernacular. Our guest is also our guide—Paul Chinowsky is a professor emeritus of civil, environmental and architectural engineering at CU Boulder. He is deeply invested in documenting our campus’ architecture to preserve the stories that shaped this institution and remember the traditions that came and went within these halls. As noted in the prologue, the history discussed in today’s episode begins in 1876. However, CU Boulder is located on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and many other Native American nations. Their forced removal from these territories has caused devastating and lasting impacts. While CU Boulder can never undo or rectify…

People in this episode

Host: Erika Randall

Guest: Paul Chinowsky

Topics covered

  • higher education
  • architecture
  • institutional identity
  • Indigenous peoples
  • campus history
  • cultural heritage

Keywords

  • CU Boulder
  • architecture
  • Paul Chinowsky
  • Indigenous history
  • institutional values
  • campus design
  • cultural identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CU Boulder

Places: Old Main, Hale, Macky, Tuscan Vernacular, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Northern Arapaho Tribe

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