Michael Hall Undergoing Massive Renos
It's a huge project, one that will touch every corner of their historic building.
Renovations have been underway at St. Peter's College (SPC) near Muenster for over a year now, and the entire historic building, constructed in the 1920's, will have new life breathed into it by the time it's done next year.
The project officially began July 1, 2009, when the installation of the building's new elevator and shaft began, explained Jennifer Fafard, projects and facilities manager for SPC.
Renovations to the rest of Michal Hall, SPC's main building, began January 1.
The elevator tower, now located at the front of Michael Hall, not only allows for a modern and extremely usable elevator to access its five floors, it also gives the building something it never had before -- a grand entrance.
"When we talk about the elevator, really, it's the big, grand entrance," said Fafard.
Not that the elevator wasn't needed. The building did have one before, but it was small, old, located at the back of the building, and not very wheel-chair friendly in general, Fafard noted.
It was also not meant for multiple trips per day, she noted -- which meant faculty and students often hauled items to their classes on the upper levels up the many flights of stairs.
The new elevator is meant to handle all day, every day use, and will ensure, Fafard noted, that the monks at nearby St. Peter's Abbey, who love to visit the College and have a vested interest in it, are still able to visit, even if they can no longer climb stairs.
"Generally, it brings us up to the 21st century," Fafard said.
The new elevator isn't just useful -- it's a bit of a show stopper. Integrated into the new front entrance for the College, its glass sides provide those riding inside with some great views of the College and the surrounding grounds on the way up or down.
The entrance and elevator, however, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the renovations inside the building.
Every floor will have been revamped and re-organized by the time the renovations are complete at this time next year.
The renovations planned for the building are massive.
While they are retaining the heritage charm in much of the building, so it won't be unrecognizable to those who have known it over the past century, the building is being brought into this centruy with new technology and a new layout.
Since January, much of the renovation work has focused on two of the five levels of Michael Hall -- the basement and the fourth floor. These two floors were probably the most under-used in the building and needed the most work.
In the basement, which once housed the dining room, the kitchen, and other classroom and office spaces that were under-utilized in the past few years, everything has been pretty much ripped out but the kitchen, which remains the property of St. Peter's Abbey.
The flooring has been ripped up, the concrete underneath jackhammered out, doorways have been widened to accommodate new standards, and new electrical, mechanical and computer systems have been integrated into the walls and ceilings.
All this is to accommodate three super labs in the basement area, as well as an updated dining room, a small office, a prep room and an electrical and mechanical room for the building's new systems.
"We need to have labs that are up to date," noted Fafard.
The College's previous labs, located on the first floor, were seriously out of date and have been on the docket for replacement for sometime, in order to attract more students to the College. New labs are also needed to accommodate new programs, such as the proposed nursing program that is still under discussion.
The fourth floor of the building, which once housed art studios, an art classroom, a music room, and was used mainly for storage, has been utterly transformed already, though work in still ongoing.
The space has been opened up and reorganized to house more classrooms, six offices and a multi-media conference room in its north end. The south end, meanwhile, has been outfitted and arrange with the hopes of the nursing program coming online.
That part of the floor includes a hospital simulation room, a nurse prep lab and a treatment room.
Should the program not come to SPC, the rooms can be retrofitted for other uses, Fafard noted, but added that the College is very confident a nursing program will be offered within its walls in the future.
The basement and new fourth floor should be ready for students and faculty to invade them in the fall, after which time work will begin on the first and second floors of the building.
The first floor, which presently houses a few offices, some classrooms, a computer lab and the old science labs, will get a new student-centred identity.
"We're moving the students down from the second floor," said Fafard.
A student commons area will take up much of the former computer lab and large classroom, and will include a television and games area, the new C2 student shop, and an area for studying. These areas will all flow together, and lead students and the public into the library area, which should make accessing the library a more friendly process for all.
"We want it to be a central hub," said Fafard.
A board room, IT services and front office administration will be located in different areas of the first floor, as will a computer lab. Faculty will occupy shared offices on this floor, as well as counsellors.
"The first floor is really student-focused," said Fafard as she looked at the blue prints. "The people they need to see - faculty and counsellors - will be there."
The second floor, where there is currently a student lounge, faculty and administrative offices, will be home to many offices once the renovation is complete.
"It will be the main administration floor," said Fafard.
There will be offices for those administrators, flex rooms, a presidential suite and a multimedia conference room.
The third floor will be completed last. It presently houses classrooms, and in its new incarnation, will still be primarly classrooms, all of good sizes, Fafard pointed out.
Throughout the building, windows and flooring will be replaced, as will lighting, and the building's systems will be built in, so there will no longer be sprinkler pipes or IT lines running along the tops of the walls. But where possible, they are trying to keep the heritage value of the building. Any new doors, for example, will be made to resemble the old ones in looks, as well as weight.
Replacing the windows, the heating and cooling systems and the lights will give the College a lot of savings when it comes to their energy bills, Fafard pointed out.
Some work has already been done on every floor, where feasible and sensible, Fafard indicated. For instance, running some of their heavy-duty mechanical systems through the former elevator shaft meant work on every floor, and the bathrooms on every floor were renovated at the same time.
A lot of the demolition work on the first floor has already been done as well, to cut down on noise and disruption for students in the fall.
All this work means that everyone at the College has been touched by the renovation, but there have been few complaints.
"Everyone's been really great," Fafard said, including the construction crew, who have proven to be extremely helpful, friendly and willing to explain what they are doing to anyone who asks, she noted.
What's also been great, she added, is hearing how great their building is from the construction crew.
"We hear....the building is phenomenal," she said. "It's so strong, in great shape."
And when you consider it was built in 1921, that's pretty amazing, she smiled.
If you'd like to see the renovation for yourself, the College will be opening their building to tours on Thursdays from 10am to noon. If you interested, contact the College's main office to book a tour.
We're very proud of what we're doing," said Fafard. "We encourage anyone at all interested (to come and see it). We'll be happy to take you around."
Story courtesy of Keri Dalman and the Humboldt Journal
