Tate Hall renovation on schedule
Classes in the hall will resume in fall 2011.
Published Oct. 1, 2010
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Tate Hall, which housed the English department, is undergoing renovations and additions and will be finished in fall 2011. The windows in the building, as well as all heating and electrical systems, are being replaced.
Tate Hall renovations are on schedule to be completed on time. Classes will be held in the hall beginning in the fall 2011 semester.
“June 2011 construction should be complete, and then the department will begin moving back in,” Campus Facilities spokeswoman Karlan Seville said in an e-mail. “Classes will resume in the building beginning fall ’11.”
College of Arts and Science Dean Michael O’Brien is looking forward to the renovated Tate Hall.
“We’ve got a world-class department of English, and it’s nice that we’ll have a world-class facility for them now,” he said.
Sophomore Michael Marcanik said he isn’t annoyed with the ongoing construction at Tate Hall.
“I didn’t really notice much noise before,” Marcanik said. “The construction doesn’t really bother me. It’s just there.”
The connector between the 1959 and 1924 buildings that make up Tate Hall has been demolished, along with all the interior classroom and office walls, Seville said. The new connector will have spaces set aside to allow for more interaction between people in the 1924 and 1959 buildings. The heating and electrical systems have also been removed, and the main stairway of the 1924 building has been removed and will be replaced with a new stair configuration.
“The original ground floor of the 1924 building was removed and re-poured with a new concrete floor,” Seville said.
New windows have arrived at the renovation site and are being installed, Seville said. The east elevation entrance to the 1924 building is undergoing foundation waterproofing.
“Masonry restoration work will be on-going this fall also,” Seville said. “We are installing the new chase at the connector and building the connector frame walls. Framing of new classroom walls and office walls has begun and will continue. Rough-in for electrical work will follow the wall framing installations.”
Seville said Tate Hall had been on the list of buildings requiring renovations for many years.
“The old heating system ran steam piping within the old floor joist system of the 1924 building,” she said. “This method of distribution would not be allowed in today’s practices.”
The heating system will be updated by installing a new mechanical chase at the southwest corner of the connector, allowing for a new air distribution network to be delivered to both the 1924 and 1959 buildings, Seville said.
There will be many new upgrades to the renovated Tate Hall that will make students and faculty more comfortable.
“The new building should provide for a better environment with the new air conditioning/heating system,” Seville said. “New windows will help with the environment control also.”
Tate Hall will have new lighting and floor furnishing, new restrooms, a larger elevator and an enclosed stair tower, Seville said.
“With the removal of the old library stacks, the area will be better used for private offices or small meeting rooms,” Seville said. “The reading room will gain new life as a large classroom with at least 70 seats but maintain the historic charm of the two-story space and large windows.”
Seville said changes should be more user-friendly for all. The changes, which include making the building brighter and more modern, should not affect the building’s historic exterior appearance.