- MC_AndersonHall2015_Dusk (3).jpg (1.82 MiB) Viewed 790 times
The challenge presented to the architects was to bring the building, not only up to code, but completely into the 21st century to accommodate the newest learning technology, while at the same time retaining its architectural character. Many conversations between the architects and the building's residents took place, and the final result walks a fine line between old and new, but is beautiful.
The biggest challenge was how to install HVAC in a brick building which had never had anything but steam radiator heat. Their worry was that the new drywall would end up with mold from damp between the brick and new walls. The solution was to leave a 6-inch gap between the two walls and install vents at intervals in the baseboards. Air circulates up and behind the walls, preventing moisture from collecting. So, as I say, they built a whole new building inside the old!
The original staircases were wonderful, but scary. Climbing 3 stories in a building with 12-foot ceilings, believe me, with no elevator, you felt every step of those 3 stories! The steps creaked and sagged in the middle from generations of students. The handrails were only about 30 inches tall, and from the third floor, you could look all the way down to the first floor. I generally hugged the wall when going up or down! We knew they would have to put in an elevator for code, and the stairs would have to be replaced, and with higher railings. We lobbied to make sure they kept the look of the old staircases.
All the doors had transoms over them, and the new doors have transoms as well. Non-functional, but then the old ones were, too, from years of neglect and layers of paint. The old 8-inch baseboards were recreated. All 144 windows in the building were replaced with period look wood windows. Where they had to patch brick or create new entrances, they were able to match the 140-year-old brick and mortar almost exactly. I know where the new brick is, and I have a hard time telling it apart from the old.
The contractors who did the work truly bought into the building's history. The craftmanship is excellent. One of the foremen took some of the original pine flooring from the second and third floors and created a lighted display cabinet for the first floor, in which our college historians display memorabilia from the college archives on a revolving basis.
The students who were here pre- and post-renovation bemoaned that they missed the creaky floors and the character of Anderson. I, however, do not miss the plaster ceilings that dropped bits almost daily, or the air conditioning units that hung out of the windows, or the floors that were 7 inches out of level from one end of the building to the other! Anderson is still here, and hopefully will still be here in another 140 years!
But I'm glad the building was restored, and attention was paid to making it look period appropriate.