$35M Worth Of Renovations At IU Being Completed

Last updated on Thursday, August 18, 2016

(BLOOMINGTON) - By the time Indiana University’s men’s basketball team plays its first game this season, $35 million worth of renovations to the lobby and seating areas at Assembly Hall are expected to be finished.

The Herald Times reports that students and faculty returning to the Bloomington campus this fall will find several projects underway.

One will alleviate student safety concerns with more than 40 new lantern-style lighting fixtures are being installed in Dunn's Woods. The project is the result of student leaders expressing concerns about safety when walking through the wooded area east and south of IU's iconic Sample Gates.

All the bases have been poured and poles are being installed. When the project is finished, hopefully within the next few weeks, LED lights will illuminate the paths, but they can also be dimmed when the Kirkwood Observatory is in use.

Phase II of the Old Crescent renovation is improving Kirkwood Hall, which will be the home of the new School of Art and Design, as well as Swain Hall. In addition to mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire alarm system replacement in Swain Hall, the facade of the building's newest addition will be changed to match the Collegiate Gothic look of the building's older sections. It's expected to be finished by fall 2018 and cost an estimated $48.5 million.

Franklin Hall was remodeled to become the new home of IU's Media School, by merging the School of Journalism with the telecommunications department and portions of the communications and culture department. The $21 million renovation of the 99-year-old building included creating an atrium with a giant skylight and a 24-foot-wide video screen.

Over the course of about 10 years, IU is expected to spend about $2 billion on other projects. Most of that money, about 70 percent, will come from things such as philanthropic gifts, research funds and student fees. Only about 30 percent will come from the state, and that money primarily will be used to rehabilitate and renovate existing buildings.

This is a period of growth for IU, and that growth is expected to continue at the same pace through the university's bicentennial celebration in 2020.

Here's a list of some other major projects.

Wells Quadrangle: Conversion of Memorial and Goodbody halls back to housing. Expected to be finished in fall 2017 at a cost of $30 million.
Indiana Memorial Union: Renovation of Biddle Hotel guest rooms. Expected to be finished in January 2018 at a cost of $8 million.
Kelley School of Business: Career services addition. Expected to be finished in spring 2018 at a cost of $14 million.
Musical Arts Center: Addition to include two large performance studios and a recording studio. The performance studios are finished, and the recording studio is expected to be completed within a few months at a cost of $6.5 million.
School of Public and Environmental Affairs: Renovation and expansion expected to be finished in spring 2017 at a cost of $12 million.
Marching Hundred Hall: New rehearsal and practice facility expected to be finished in December 2017 at a cost of $10 million.
Luddy Hall: New School of Informatics and Computing building expected to be finished in spring 2018 at a cost of $39.8 million.

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