Admitting to unanticipated setbacks, the University administration says Rotunda restoration may not be entirely completed by 2016 Final Exercises, though it maintains the project is on schedule.
“We would still say we hope to get it done by the upcoming Final Exercises,” University President Teresa Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the project ran into unexpected delays when workers encountered a vein of granite where utility pipes were meant to be installed.
If construction is not complete, scaffolding will still be taken down for commencement exercises, and the building will be cleared for students to process around the terraces, said Brian Hogg, the restoration’s senior historic preservation planner.
He said the project remains on schedule, though “there’s a lot left to do.”
“It’s about a year’s work of construction,” Hogg said.
Renovations include a revamping of spaces for students to use for study, meetings and classes.
“The whole goal of the project is to have the building be more heavily used than it had been in the past,” Hogg said. “We want the Rotunda to really be integrated into the daily life of the University.”
New air conditioning systems, plumbing and a new elevator will also be installed. Gardens will decorate each of the two courtyards as well as the north side of the building.
During the current phase of the project, part of the exterior will also be restored. The cornices are being reinstalled after having been removed and stripped of paint.
In the interior, workers recently replaced of the Dome Room ceiling, and are currently refinishing the walls and building new staircases.
Hogg said delays are to be expected when dealing with a historic building such as the Rotunda.
Classrooms should also be ready for use in the fall, Hogg said.
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