Bypassing cranes and re-routing daily paths became familiar aspects of campus life this summer as several University buildings underwent extensive reconstruction. The improvements -- part of a continuing effort to upgrade Yale's facilities -- range from modernizing the infrastructure of some buildings to refurbishing the exterior sections of others, to constructing brand new spaces. Many of the renovations completed during the summer months were merely stages of more long-term projects.
"This summer was a little bit different from last summer," says Arch Currie, director of project management in the Office of Facilities. "Last year there were a number of renovations that had to be done by the end of the summer. This year there are several projects that are very large" and will continue into the fall, he says. For example, he notes that a $37 million renovation of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium that began last year will extend into 1998 -- and that's just the first phase of a proposed three-part overhaul of the 65-year-old facility.
Other buildings receiving major work this summer include the Sterling Memorial Library, the Law School, Linsly-Chittenden Hall, the Hall of Graduate Studies and undergraduate residential colleges.
In keeping with what now has become an established pattern, the University has awarded most of its construction contracts to firms that maintain offices in Connecticut, says Mr. Currie, adding that this practice helps boost the local economy.
"This summer more than any other ever has been one of construction, renovation and rebuilding of Yale," says J. Lloyd Suttle, associate provost of the University. "We've seen an enormous expansion, especially on central campus projects. When you looked out over the campus, cranes were everywhere, activity was everywhere. There are lots of people working hard to see that this gets done."
The impact of the work this summer extends far beyond physical alterations, Mr. Suttle adds. He notes, for example, that "we're not fixing the air conditioning in Sterling Library, we're preserving our priceless collection -- and the way we do that is to make sure the air conditioning works."
Sterling Memorial Library
Renovation of the Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High St., began two years ago. Areas targeted for improvement include the book stack tower, main reading room, periodical reading room, memorabilia room and exhibition corridor.
The library, which houses approximately 4.5 million books in its stacks, was completed in 1930, when environmental controls for book preservation were not considered in its design. The comprehensive renovations address these concerns with the addition of new heating, air conditioning, climate-control, electrical and telecommunications systems.
This summer's efforts focused on the 16-story book stack tower and the exhibition corridor. Major alterations to the book stack tower include new windows, elevators and bathrooms, as well as new utility and fire protection systems. "The air conditioning systems in the book stack tower were turned on, providing cool air to the stacks for the first time," says Mr. Currie. "Portions of the new fire alarm system also were activated." In the exhibition corridor, leaded glass windows and display cases were reconditioned, stonework was cleaned, and the ceiling was cleaned and repainted. In addition, a new heating and air conditioning system was installed.
Work on this current phase of renovations, with the exclusion of the periodical reading room, is scheduled for completion by December 1997. Renovations to the periodical reading room are expected to be completed by June 1998.
Music Library
Another major construction project took shape at Sterling Memorial Library this summer, with work starting on the new Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, which will eventually house the bulk of the University's 130,000 music holdings.
The current music library has, quite simply, "outgrown its space" at its current location in Sprague Hall, says Mr. Currie. "Many of its collections have been shelved in other libraries at the University," he explains. "Study space is cramped, and users have to wait to use limited listening stations. Therefore, it was decided to move this facility to Sterling Memorial Library, into more spacious accommodations."
The $11 million "library within a library" is being constructed in Sterling's northwest courtyard and surrounding interior area. Consisting of approximately 26,000 square feet, the new music library will feature state-of-the-art facilities including electronic access to topical information about music, and space for classroom instruction.
The basement will contain book stacks and a historic sound recording room, and the first floor will have a record listening area, two seminar rooms, offices and an exhibition space. On the mezzanine level will be a reading area, periodical stacks, offices and a technical services area. The arched truss ceiling structure will sit approximately 60 feet above the mezzanine, allowing indirect natural light into the courtyard space.
An air conditioning and sprinkler system, as well as highly sensitive fire detection and smoke evacuation systems, will be installed throughout. In addition, all reader areas will be wired for power and data transmission.
This summer, foundation piles were completed in the courtyard to support the new floor structures, notes Mr. Currie. Also, the basement floor slab was poured, and the steel roof trusses were erected using an unusually large crane that required the temporary closure of Wall Street. Demolition continued in the spaces surrounding the courtyard, to prepare for the installation of mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems. The music library is scheduled to be completed in June 1998.
The late Irving Gilmore, a 1923 graduate and a benefactor of Yale, made the construction of the new music library possible through a generous bequest, which was supported by a gift from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.
Law School
The Law School, 127 Wall St., has been undergoing renovations and expansions since 1994. The renovation project is the building's most extensive overhaul since its construction in 1931. The work completed this summer focused on the renovation of Entry M of the dormitory wing, located at the corner of York and Grove streets. This wing houses student rooms, a laundry room and other common student facilities.
The scope of interior renovations in this area includes a new elevator, a new access route connecting the York and Grove Street wings, and new heating, cooling, plumbing, fire protection and security systems. Telecommunications and electrical systems in the area were modernized and interior finishes were refurbished. In addition, exterior renovations were completed on the roofing, masonry and stonework.
Work began this summer on the High Street wing of the Law School, which houses classroom and seminar rooms, faculty and administrative offices, student and faculty lounges, student locker rooms and the Lillian Goldman Law Library. The work included lowering the sub-basement floor to accommodate the redesign of the law library, exterior construction and repair, the construction of new seminar rooms, the installation of a new elevator and the renovation of several administrative suites. Renovations will continue in several phases over the next few years, says Mr. Currie.
"At the completion of this project, [the space] will be entirely renovated," he adds.
Linsly-Chittenden Hall
The comprehensive renovations of Linsly-Chittenden Hall (LC), which began in late May, are expected to cost about $22 million, says Mr. Currie. Located at 63 High St., the hall is one of the most heavily used buildings on campus. The Chittenden portion of the building was constructed in 1890, and the Linsly portion was added in 1906. Originally used as the main University library, LC was reconfigured in 1930 as a classroom building.
"Because of the very heavy use of the building over its long life, all major building service systems were in need of replacement," notes Mr. Currie. "To this has been added the need for cooling, more efficient lighting, full data network and audio-visual capability. To accomplish this daunting task of renovation, the hall is being taken out of service for one full academic year, with a total renovation now scheduled for completion in August 1998."
The overhaul will include a new roof, stone repair and cleaning, and new windows. Inside, rooms will be modified slightly to place English department offices together on one floor, and to keep teaching spaces on the lower floors. Faculty offices will be located on the upper floors and in a new attic floor to be constructed over the Chittenden side of the hall. Lecture Hall 101 is being totally reconstructed with a stepped floor and new seating, with data network capability to each seat. Rm. 102 will be restored to emulate its original appearance, but with more efficient and attractive lighting, and full audio-visual capability.
Other seminar rooms and classrooms also will feature new lighting and will be reconfigured to accommodate audio-visual and data networking needs. In addition, all interior finishes will be renewed or replaced, and a new interior stair and elevators will permit access to all 11 levels of the building. There will be a new front entry on High Street, and the building will be completely accessible to persons with disabilities through the installation of an entryway ramp, lifts and elevators.
Hall of Graduate Studies McDougal Student Center
Also this summer, construction on the Hall of Graduate Studies' McDougal Student Center took place. The center, named after longtime benefactors of Yale (see below), "is intended to create a sense of community among graduate students and integrate the intellectual and social settings, to enrich both aspects of graduate student life," says Mr. Currie. "The intention is to encourage intellectual discussions in a relaxed atmosphere." Among the major alterations is the conversion of the common room to a cafe/lounge area. Sandwiches, pastries, coffee, juice and soup will be served in the area, which will be characterized by its distinctive architecture, Mr. Currie says.
The decoration and finishes in the common room ceiling were based on the decorative motifs found in the Italian Palazzos of the Renaissance Period, notes Mr. Currie. To restore that ceiling, its motifs and finishes had to be accurately and authentically recreated utilizing the deliberate variations in color employed by designer James Gamble Rogers when the brick and granite Hall of Graduate Studies was constructed in 1932 at 320 York St.
In addition to the café/lounge area, the McDougal Center will include a multi-purpose area for lectures, performances, cultural events, seminars and discussion groups -- all of which are now under construction, along with a fellowship library, a career services office and a computer room. The basement will be used to provide a locker storage facility and a pedagogical training program.
The center is named after Yale alumnus Alfred L. McDougal '53 and his wife, Nancy A. Lauter, who made a substantial donation to establish and endow several center programs. Both are longtime supporters of the University's academic and socal programs. In 1995, when their gift for the center was announced, President Richard C. Levin cited the couple's "generosity and vision," and Graduate School Dean Thomas Appelquist noted that the center will provide graduate students with "a host of important and welcome educational and social amenities at the heart of the campus. ... We are extremely fortunate that Alfred McDougal and Nancy Lauter have made such a significant and foresighted commitment to improving graduate student life at Yale."
Residential colleges
"This summer Silliman underwent renovation to 12 bathrooms," Mr. Currie says of the largest of the University's residential colleges; other bathrooms in Silliman College were renovated in 1990, 1994 and 1996. The work this year included completely gutting and refitting the bathrooms in Entryways G, I and L. All student rooms in the college were painted, and heating systems were upgraded in several areas.
Other residential colleges underwent renovations this summer as well, notes Mr. Currie. "A small amount of interior work was done in Trumbull College, and Stiles and Morse colleges underwent a utility piping project," he says. The work in Trumbull College consisted mainly of fire protection improvements, primarily in the common room, library and dining hall. Those areas also were painted.
All student residential areas in Timothy Dwight College were painted, and fire-safety compliance improvements were made throughout the college.
Underground piping in the courtyard adjoining Stiles and Morse colleges was replaced "in it's entirety," Mr. Currie says. This project also involved buildings in the adjacent Broadway retail area. In the Morse/Stiles courtyard, drainage, lighting and landscaping improvements were made, and walkways in the area were replaced with exposed aggregate concrete and brick.
Other renovations
Among other campus buildings that received fire protection and life safety upgrades this summer is the 32-year-old Kline Biology Tower, off Prospect Street.
A new "swing" dormitory, a temporary housing unit for students in residential colleges undergoing long-term renovations, will be situated on the triangular block bordered by Tower Parkway, Ashmun Street and York Square Place. To make way for the swing dorm, four buildings formerly occupied by the Offices of Facilities and of Finance and Administration (at 20, 28, 30 and 32 Ashmun St.) were demolished this summer. The offices have been relocated to 2 Whitney Ave. and 120 East St., respectively.
In addition, the Power Plant is being modernized, at a cost of about $90 million, says Mr. Currie. The Central Power Plant on Tower Parkway, the Pierson Sage Power Plant on Science Hill and an interconnecting network of underground pipes and tunnels provide steam for heating, chilled water for air conditioning, electricity and telecommunication systems throughout central campus. The current renovation and new systems will come on-line toward the end of this year, Mr. Currie notes. The comprehensive reconstruction of the Power Plant includes increased generating capacities of up to 340,000 pounds per hour of steam and 9,000 tons of chilled water, and a 60- x 90-foot building addition. "During the summer, the construction of the addition to the Central Power Plant has been an important component of the work, complementing the total interior renovation of the existing 82-year-old Gothic structure," Mr. Currie says. The addition will house three natural gas fueled turbines designed to generate both steam and electricity.
Still more renovations -- many of them currently in the planning stages -- are on the way, says Associate Provost Suttle. "There's very active planning for the renovation of Berkeley, Branford and Saybrook colleges, the Art and Architecture Building and the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle," among other areas, Mr. Suttle notes. "There's lots more to come."
-- By Felicia Hunter