TERRE HAUTE • A large crane and construction crews on Monday unloaded truckloads of steel beams that will be used to construct an atrium inside University Hall on the Indiana State University campus.
A $29.8 million renovation project began in June with an interior demolition of the building. Work crews now are framing classrooms and offices within the building, which will house the College of Education. Steve Culp, Indiana State University construction manager, said the renovation should be completed in March 2009 and in use for the fall 2009 semester.
Culp called the atrium a “focal point†for University Hall. The existing open-air University Plaza will be turned into a steel and glass enclosed atrium with nine 30-foot by 18 ½- foot skylights along with climate control and irrigation systems.
It will be 72-degrees all year around,†Culp said.
In addition to offices for College of Education faculty and staff inside the historic building, the hall will include 13 classrooms with the latest technology. Data and electrical outlets will be spaced throughout the classrooms for students’ use.
““No student will be more than six feet away from an electrical outlet to recharge a computer,†Culp said.
From arched doorways to original stairwells, Culp said the goal is to keep historic aspects of University Hall, which was built during the 1930s and is listed on the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology’s historic sites and structures list. Part of that plan means a remodel of the hall’s auditorium, which will again combine the technology of the new with the 1930s’ aesthetic.
“This is another focal point,†Culp said as he looked around the water-damaged auditorium. “It has been vacant for some time.â€Â
That part of the project calls for refurbishing woodwork and plaster throughout what will be a 445-seat auditorium with balcony. Culp said the atrium and auditorium are major projects within the renovation.
During the fall of 2006, the State Budget Committee approved the release of $26.88 million in bonds for the project. The university is contributing the remaining $2.92 million to complete the renovation.
Since 1976, the College of Education has been housed in a 15-story former residence hall. The College of Business, located in the adjoining tower, will also be moving, and the twin towers will be razed. The College of Business will be moving into the downtown Federal Building, which is scheduled to be turned over to the university by the General Services Administration and the United States Postal Service.
The moves are expected to save the university and the state about $900,000 each year in repair and rehabilitation costs, with additional savings expected in utilities.
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Contact: Steve Culp, ISU construction manager, at (812) 237-8183 or at sculp2@isugw.indstate.edu
Writer: Jennifer Sicking, ISU assistant director of media relations, at (812) 237-7972 or jsicking@indstate.edu