NEW AND IMPROVED FACILITIES GREET BRYN MAWR STUDENTS

Architect's model of the Dalton renovation

Students who return from summer vacation aflame with Olympic fever will be delighted to find new practice facilities for track and field events behind Brecon Hall. Shot-put, discus, long-jump and triple-jump facilities have been created, along with a runway for hurdle practice, reports Facilities Services Director Glenn Smith. According to Smith, this summer saw several renovation projects, from painting dorm rooms to a complete overhaul of Dalton, a major effort that won't be completed until the summer of 2006.

An outline of some of the summer's improvements follows (with thanks to the Facilities Services newsletter):

• Dalton renovation. When Dalton Hall was built in 1893, it was a state-of-the art scientific facility. The ambitious renovation now under way aims to restore its status as a showcase of educational technology with flexible computer labs and multimedia teaching facilities. The building will house the College's social-science departments as well as two of the interdisciplinary Centers for 21st-Century Inquiry — the Center for Communities, Ethnicities and Social Policy and the Center for International Studies. An exterior glass stair, visible from Taylor Green, will provide a welcoming new entrance to Dalton Hall and bring natural light into new instructional and social spaces that will connect Dalton to neighboring Guild Hall. Large open spaces on the third floor that had been partitioned into separate rooms will be reopened to create anthropology laboratories and a large, high-tech classroom.

• Denbigh Exterior Renovation. Built in 1891, Denbigh was the third Bryn Mawr residence hall designed by the Philadelphia architects Walter Cope and John Stewardson, the creators of the collegiate gothic style of American architecture. This summer, a scaffold was erected around the dorm to begin the first phase of masonry and roof rehabilitation, which required masons to remove, clean and label for reinstallation hundreds of individual blocks of stone. This work will continue until mid-September.

• Health Center Improvements. Exterior windows were replaced, space was reconfigured, walls were painted and repairs were made to plumbing and wiring. Drainage and walkways around the building were also improved.

• Roof Replacements. Kettle-cooked, built-up tar roofs were installed on Canaday Library and the Chemistry wing of the science complex. Facilities Services planners expect these renovations to last for about 40 years.

• Radnor Kicks the Habit. Last semester, the Dean's Office announced that new information about the health risks of second-hand smoke would compel the College to eliminate "smoking dorms." Tobacco consumption had also left its mark on Radnor Hall, which had served as the smoker's residence for several years. This summer, Radnor got a thorough airing-out; all common areas, hallways and most student rooms were painted. The carpet was replaced in the common areas and hallways. The common rooms received new furniture and new lighting.

• Dorm and Dining-hall Touch-ups. Student rooms at Haffner were painted; new mirrors, closet hooks and towel bars were also installed in all the rooms in Haffner. Many other residence hall rooms were painted over the summer. Electrical service to the Pool House at Glenmede was upgraded. Plumbing issues were addressed at Erdman. Facilities Services also teamed up with Dining Services to undertake a minor renovation of Haffner Kitchen making room for new meal stations.

• Park Heating. New heating controls were installed in the Physics Wing of Park Hall.

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