“The New England village therefore assumed great symbolic importance to the Puritans, as a mythic as well as social and commercial center.”
-Landscapes of the Sacred, Belden C. Lane
When I think early European settlements in the New World, a typical layout of the village comes to mind; one with the religious meeting house in the center and houses, farms and other buildings working around that center. This was typical for these villages, and having the meeting place in the literal as well as the theoretical center was of main importance to the Puritans.
When I think of St. Olaf, no true center comes to mind. The layout was not planned in that way. Are Buntrock and the Chapel the theoretical center? It the literal center closer to Melby hall?
I began to think of my home town. Even in the downtown I can’t think about where the center truly lies. Possibly in the local shopping mall? When I thought of the theoretical center though, several places came to mind. The “Education” hill in town with the elementary, Jr. and high schools. The movie theater and dining area. The bottom of education hill where several churches and temples are located. The town hall.
The main concept I gathered was that the Puritans had a known center, while today that is rarely the case in most towns, cities or even college campuses.
Do we lose a sense of community by not having a known “center”?
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