This semester, porta-potties and power drills replace the sight and sounds of "whispering pines and campus fair" at Bowdoin. The campus has been transformed into an enormous construction site, as the Walker Art Building, Hyde and Appleton Halls, and the former Curtis Pool Building are being renovated at the same time.
All of the projects are proceeding on schedule, with the art museum scheduled for completion in the winter of 2007, the concert hall at the Curtis Pool site for the spring of 2007, and the final renovation of the six first-year Bricks by the end of 2006 at the latest.
The simultaneous construction and renovation of these projects is the culmination of 20-plus years of planning and development.
"The art museum renovation has been a subject for discussion since the mid-1980s, with many designs considered and many efforts at fund-raising," said Senior Vice-President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, Catherine Longley.
Last year, the Board of Trustees committed to the current architectural design by Machado and Silvetti of Boston and authorized construction.
"Much of the renovation has to do with providing climate control and preserving our outstanding art collection," Longley said. "One of the issues with timing was to make sure that we could hold commencement at the Walker steps next May."
The concert hall has been in development for the past eight years, with the initial stages of design by the Boston firmWilliam Rawn Associates. Two major donors helped the project pick up speed, and the final design for the building should be coming out shortly. Once the design of the building has been selected, contractors will begin the interior demolition of the Curtis Pool building. The renovated building will feature a 300-seat concert hall with impressive acoustics and several practice rooms.
The renovation of first-year dormitories has been under consideration decades, according to Longley.
"With the construction of the two new dorms on South Street, we can now begin the process of emptying the older dorms and renovating them." The newly renovated Bricks will be compliant to standards set out in the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consist of both doubles and quads.
Many students are baffled, overwhelmed, and annoyed by the construction on campus and the many interruptions it brings to their everyday routines. "It's pretty inconvenient," Evan Fensterstock '06 said. "The Quad is half the size it used to be and the campus doesn't feel as open around Hubbard," he said.
Despite inconveniences, the college is working rapidly to make navigating the campus easier this semester. The hole in the Quad will be filled in the next several days and a new sidewalk will be put in front of the museum in the next three weeks.
Others felt that they were given no warning for the projects and worried that the cost of the construction may result in higher tuition. "I just feel like we had no explanation, and I'm wondering how they're paying for it, especially since they raised tuition last year," Anna Kosovsky '08 said.
College officials, however, say that such fears regarding tuition are unfounded. "With the exception of annual debt service payments, capital projects such as the Art Museum, Concert Hall, and Bricks renovation are funded separately from the College's operating budget."
The Art Museum project is funded by the endowment, gifts, and debt. The Concert Hall is being funded by gifts and grants, and the renovation of the Bricks is being funded by debt. Bowdoin has access to low interest rate bonds thanks to its excellent credit rating.
"While we can't predict next year's tuition, these projects do not impose a financial burden on the College," Longley said.