Campus construction underway to prepare for Centennial

By Nicola Park     9/6/12 7:00pm

 

Several renovation projects are underway on campus in preparation for the multitude of alumni, students and other visitors who will celebrate the Centennial on campus from Oct. 10 to 14. Various projects include the repainting of public areas, landscaping improvements, Inner Loop curb repair, Rice Memorial Center bathroom renovations, a touch-up on Willy's statue, the unveiling of the Edgar Odell Lovett statue and chapel restoration, according to Susan Glenn, the manager of communications for Facilities Engineering and Planning.

Much of the construction has been spurred on by the Centennial's approach, she said.

---

---

"Sunday, Oct. 7, will be the last day that we'll be doing anything [for a while] because the festivities begin that weekend," Glenn said. 

Touch-ups

Hallways, classrooms and public areas will be repainted, and all of the campus entrances will be seeing more landscaping changes involving flowers and maybe more shrubs, Glenn said. 

"The main campus entrance [Entrance 1] will expect lots of color," Glenn said. "Around the entrances, there will be extra mulch and sod where grass may have died."

Renovations for the buildings and their interiors are in anticipation of the various receptions that will go on during the Centennial weekend, according to Glenn. 

"Most departments and different divisions of the schools will be presenting and hosting events," Glenn said. 

There are projects currently under progress outside of Sewall Hall and Anderson Hall. 

In addition, campus entrances' light fixtures have been undergoing repainting since January and this project is nearing completion, Glenn said. 

The school has also been pressure-washing the building exteriors, causing areas to be roped off and paths to be redirected. According to Glenn, the Academic Quad will be re-planted and re-sodded just before the Centennial. 

Graduate student Bhargava Shastry said he felt that the construction has not been much of a nuisance because it has not disrupted his work schedule.

"The only thing that bothers me when I'm outside is the noise," Shastry said.

Duncan College freshman Alex Yozzo said he was unfazed by the construction.

"Construction hasn't been bothering me," Yozzo said. "It's not a big deal. The campus is already beautiful."

Lovett statue

An eight-foot bronze statue of Lovett, Rice's first president, by sculptor Bruce Wolfe will be revealed on Sept. 13, Glenn said. The bronze figure is an image of Lovett mid-stride in honor of his walk to work each day, according to Glenn. 

Shastry said he was concerned about the amount of area that the construction in front of Keck Hall in preparation for the installation of the statue has taken up.

However, he said he hoped that the statue would be a beneficial addition to the campus.

"I think the campus is really beautiful by itself with all the trees and all that, and I feel that as long as it's not intrusive it's fine," he said. 

Chapel Restoration

Restoration of the chapel has been going on throughout the summer and is scheduled to be complete by Sept. 7, Glenn said.

"The chapel restoration was a terrific project [and was intended] to make it more of what it used to be," Glenn said. "[Construction workers] did major floor repairs, refinished all the pews and prettied up the bride's room."

The chapel also received a gift to reassemble its organ, which had previously been out of use, according to Glenn. 

RMC Restrooms

The undertaking of restroom renovation next to the Grand Hall in the Rice Memorial Center will mean more stalls, wider doors, and functioning bathrooms on either side of the building by Oct. 5, according to Glenn. 

Willy's Statue

The statue of William Marshall Rice, located in the center of the Academic Quad, is also being cleaned from Sept. 4 to Sept. 14. 

"Students will see a green fence around the statue," Glenn said. "Those looking for Willy may be a little disappointed."

The fence will not get in the way of pedestrians, according to Glenn. Workers plan to clean the statue thoroughly and wax it, she said. The grand pedestal that the statue of Rice sits on will also be cleaned, and the granite will be sealed, Glenn said.

"Because Willy is so tall, there will be scaffolding that is erected," Glenn said. "Nothing's coming off of him. He's just getting a good shine."

---