Campus construction updates

Replacement of 40-year-old steam heat lines continues on The North Campus.

11:54 a.m., July 13, 2004--As the summer progresses, work continues on various construction projects to improve and enhance the campus, from new buildings to upgrades of existing buildings and physical plant systems.

Steam and condensate line replacement on The North Green

Work continues on the replacement of steam and condensate line on The North Green. Steam lines carry heat to the buildings on campus, and the condensate lines carry water back to the main central heating plant where it is reused. The lines being replaced are about 40 years old, and serve central, north and west campus.

Although there are no lane restrictions at present, sidewalks on both sides of East Delaware Avenue in the vicinity of The Green are closed. The project is on schedule and should be completed by Friday, Aug. 27.

Construction of the new Center for the Arts just south of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building has been under way since mid-June.

Center for the Arts

Construction of the new Center for the Arts located just south of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building has been under way since mid-June. Four houses at 182, 188, 192 and 198 Orchard Road were demolished to make way for the center.

Currently, work is concentrated on construction of the new 715-car parking garage off Elkton Road. The $12.4 million structure is proceeding on schedule, with the parking garage scheduled to open in February. There are no current lane restrictions in the area.

The sidewalk is closed on the west side of Orchard Road between the site of the former houses and the entrance to the gated lot.

A gated section of the Orchard Road parking lot remains in use until construction of the new parking garage is completed.

The foundation is being laid for the new 715-car parking garage off Elkton Road.

The Center for the Arts will include a recital hall, orchestra rehearsal hall and proscenium theatre, as well as theatre rehearsal space and music practice rooms. As currently designed, the building is projected to cost $42 million. Half the amount has been raised, with Unidel, MBNA, Wilhemina Press Thompson and Willard Hackerman heading the list of donors. If funding permits, a major concert hall also will be added. The architect is Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore.

Parking lot on West Delaware Avenue

A 15-space gold-parking lot built on the site of the former Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house, at the corner of Orchard Road and West Delaware Avenue, opened for use on Friday, July 9.

Laird Campus Residence Hall Complex project

Excavation of the foundation of a residence hall with 509 beds has begun near Christiana Towers on the Laird Campus.

This project will replace motel-style Pencader residence halls on the Laird Campus with three modern residence halls, featuring architecture and landscaping patterned after The Green. A pedestrian bridge will connect the area to the Ray Street Residence Hall Complex. The existing recreation courts and athletic fields have been moved to the east side of the ring road that encircles the area leading to Christiana Towers, and excavation of the foundation of a residence hall with 509 beds has begun. Pencader A-H and Commons 1 and 2 will be torn down in the summer of 2005, and two additional buildings will be constructed housing 250 beds each. The cost of the Pencader project is estimated to be $72 million. The north building is slated for completion in August 2005, and the two southern buildings are scheduled for completion in August 2006. Ayers Saint Gross of Baltimore is the architect.

Foreign Languages and Literatures headquarters

Two former fraternity houses near Elliott and Mechanical halls have been acquired by the University and will be joined by a central structure and renovated to serve as the headquarters for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The building is designed to house 60 faculty offices, a language laboratory and conference space. Anderson, Brown, Higley Associates of Wilmington is the architect. The cost and completion date are to be determined.

A 15-space gold-parking lot is now open at Orchard Road and West Delaware Avenue.

Early Learning Center
The Early Learning Center on Wyoming Road, formerly the Girls Inc. facility, opened Monday, June 14. The center is housed in a 30,000-square-foot building, which includes an art room, science and technology room, laundry room, kitchen, meeting rooms and room for nursing mothers, plus an outdoor playground. All children’s classrooms, special activities rooms and the gym can be viewed from state-of-the-art observation booths to enable students and researchers to see and hear the children as they play and learn. A Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic also is housed in the center. Anderson, Brown, Higley Associates of Wilmington
was the architect.

Academy Street and Grove area on The South Green

Asphalt paving in the area around The Grove is being replaced with brick pavers, and intermittent lane restrictions along Academy Street from the Alison Hall parking lot to Courtney Street will be in effect during the project, which is scheduled to be completed by Friday, July 16.

Additional construction projects

A duplex house at 69-71 Delaware Avenue was demolished and will be replaced by a parking lot.

In addition, construction projects in the planning and/or design stages include:

An education center named in honor of former Delaware Gov. Elbert N. Carvel at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Education Center in Georgetown;
Waterproofing and brick paving of the McKinly Laboratory plaza terrace;
Phase 3 of renovating plumbing, risers and bathrooms in Christiana West Tower;
Renovation of the west and north wings of Brown Laboratory; and
Renovation of the former maintenance center at 200 Academy Street for College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy centers.

Article by Jerry Rhodes

Photos by Kevin Quinlan

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