By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
As Baylor’s Memorial to Enslaved Persons continues construction on Founders Mall, the historic quad is expected to be fenced off until summer 2025.
According to Baylor President Linda Livingstone, the Memorial to Enslaved Persons is projected to be dedicated next fall.
The construction — which was approved by the Board of Regents in May of 2022 after recommendation from the Commission on Historic Campus Representations — kicked off in February of 2024 with a ceremonial groundbreaking. Only this fall, however, did the construction fully get under way.
“While it will be a little disruptive on campus over the course of this year, we are really excited about the monument,” Livingstone said.
Perhaps the biggest of these disruptions is the loss of one of Baylor’s most popular photoshoot locations. Founders Mall, with its vibrant foliage and traditional red brick architecture, has been in the background of thousands of senior photos. This year, about three quarters of the quad will remain closed as construction continues on the memorial.
So unless the class of 2025 enjoys a backdrop of blue fences and concrete mixers, graduating seniors will likely have to find different places for graduation pictures.
For Indianapolis junior Catherine Kramer, the effects are tangible. Although she said the construction is “ultimately for the betterment of campus,” it has been “without a doubt, an inconvenience.”
Kramer, who works for Baylor Athletics Communications, operates her own portrait business on the side. She said that the construction will impact her business and will end up leaving many of her clients without some of their most desired photos. Old Main and Founders Mall “are huge spots for senior photography,” she said.
“A lot of students want to have their pictures taken [at Founders Mall] because of how pretty it is, and how Baylor-esque it is,” Kramer said. “And so with not being able to go around there at all, you have to re-plan your entire set of locations and rethink how you can still have a Baylor senior photo shoot without a location that’s so central to Baylor.”
While Kramer — and every other campus photographer — has been affected by the construction, she’s maintaining a positive outlook for when senior photo season comes around.
“I’m prepared to navigate [the situation] and I’m developing alternatives,” Kramer said.
The challenge has provided Kramer with some new settings, like the west face of Pat Neff Hall, the Baylor sign on University Parks and Fountain Mall. It will also allow her more time to shoot at parts of campus that hold significant places in her clients’ hearts.
“I really try to leave it up to the client in terms of what they want, because I’m here to service them and bring their vision to life. And so I try to leave a lot of space for [shooting where a client wants],” Kramer said. “Even places that seem very mundane through campus, you can actually bring to life in a very cool way.”
