Campus face-lifting continues

byA/ine Rowland

In the fall of 1977, a quiet change
began happening to 18 of the 35
buildings which comprise the Grinnell
campus, Now, two years and $1,830,000
later, three buildings stand completed
and two are still being worked on. The
others have yet to be started.

After approximately 50 years of
wear and tear, student residence halls
are receiving an interior “face-lift,”

Director of Student Housing, Susan
Wittpen, said she is pleased with the
renovations so far. She commented, ”I
haven't received any complaints and I
think students have been very cor
operative about moving back and
forth.”

Jim Tederman, Dean of Student Af-
fairs, also expressed satisfaction with
the structures completed thus far. “I
only wish things could go faster," he
sighed, “but most of the problems so
far are just due to the age of the
buildings.”

“You just. don't know what you‘ll
find when you start working on a
building,” he continued, “but hopeful»
1y all of the renovations will he done
by the fall of 1983 or the spring of
1984."

Clark Hall, the first dorm to be cum,
pleted, cost $300,000 to renovate and
opened last fall. Jeff Meisles, a
sophomore who lives on the second
floor of Clark, said, “The sinks in the
rooms and Vanities are great. I think
it would be a good thing to put them in
all the renovated dorms because even
though they are expensive, the dorms,
won’t be renovated for another 50
years anyway, so I think they would
be a good investment."

At least one resident of James Hall,
into which students moved at mid
semester last (all, said sadly, “I do
miss the sinks."

Hugh Tozer, a junior, noted, “The
only real complaint I’ve heard is
about the new lounge furniture. It just
doesn't look like it was made for dorm
use, and the pieces are not comfor»
table,”

He also lamented the loss of the old
wood trim, saying, “I think it’s a
shame they took it out.” But on the
whole he felt the designers “did a
good job of color coordinating things,
and even though people complain a lit-
tle, I wouldn‘t rather live in, say,
Cleveland, where the paint colors are
all messed up."

Main Hall, finished over the sum-
mer, appears to be under the inlluence
ol' the new as well as the old. The
rooms have new “modular” wood fur-
niture, while the lounge took a step
backwards and appears as it did when
it was lirst built during the early
1900's.

Tederman stressed, “We're really

August at, N79

concerned about Main Lounge, an
awful lot of money has gone into it,”

After a few outstanding bills are
paid Treasurer Robert Anderson
estimated the total cost of renovating
Main Hall at around $600,000.
However, figures for the lounge itself
were not available, he said.

Although the lounge was locked at
the beginning of the term, Tederman
assured that “it was only a
misunderstanding and it will be open
to students from now on.”

“But," warned Wlttpen, “if lots of
damage occurs because of wild parties
or whatever, we’ll have to reevaluate
that decision"

Philip Burke, a Main resident, ex-
claimed, “I like it here, it's fantastic!
Some people think it (the room fur-
nishings) looks like a doll house, but
I’ve heard only good comments from
others."

Norris Hall, dubbed the “Grinnell
Holiday Inn," received exterior, as
well as interior, work. A “shell” of
new brick, more similar in color to the
surrounding dorms, and smaller win-
dows were added as energy saving
measures. A forced air heating system
replaced the steam system originally
installed,

Tederman noted several effects this
has on the atmosphere in the hall, “In
the winter time,” he explained, “the
comfort level will be uniform
throughout the building and each room
has it’s own control.”

The system allows for “free air
conditioning" in the summer, by
means of a fan which blows outside
air through the building if the
temperature inside is higher than out-

“The new ducting system also
reduces the noise transmission con-
siderably," Tederman pointed out

The walls and roof of the fourth
floor, which was added when con—
demned Mears Hall closed last spring,
are finished.

Improvements on Norris have only
begun, however, as “Stage 2" of the
remodeling will be done next fall.
Several changes will include new
bathrooms with private showers,
removal of lhe built-in furniture, and
the restructuring of the first floor to
make it less “maze-like.”

“An added benefit of Norris and
Langan (now under construction) will
be the ability to put in air condition
ing," revealed Tederman, “which will
allow 200 spaces for people it pro
grams were to be held here in the
summer.”

Norris resident Phil Guarco express-
ed mixed feeling about the changes.
”Noise is down noticeably and now
you can open the windows,” he com»
merited. “Aesthetically, I still feel like
rm living in an old-age home; the
massive shoebox structure makes it
seem like an institution.” He also
mentioned, “The large number of ex-
its makes it hard to feel a sense of
community because there is no com-
mon gathering place.”

Tederman pointed to another pleas-
ing aspect of the renovations when he
said, “The actual per square foot cost
is only $22 or 323, while most projects
of this kind are costing between $40 ‘
and $50 per square foot." He at-
tributed this to Ted Lovejoy, a retired
building contractor and trustee, who is
donating his time and skills.

 

