Plans for renovations to Winther and Heide halls are advancing. After the State Building Commission approved the funds for the $89.065 million project last month, the next step of the process can continue.
The project is in the design phase, which is set to be complete in March, according to the project coordinator Nicole Thompson.
Winther Hall, built in 1968, and Heide Hall, built in 1965, are some of the oldest buildings on campus. At the time of their construction Old Main was the landmark of campus before a fire in 1970, the remainder of the building is now Hyer Hall.
Winther Hall, home to the College of Education and Professional Studies, will see a major revamp with a new roof and windows. It will address accessibility issues in restrooms and elevators. Modernized classrooms, collaboration spaces and an advising center are also included in the project.
Heide Hall, which houses many communication and journalism courses, will also have updated classrooms and collaboration spaces.
“It will be easier for me to access help from professors,” said senior journalism major Mackenzie Juedes. “It will also allow for more group work.”
The project will also address accessibility issues with a four-story tall addition with accessible restrooms and two new elevators.
“The renovations in these buildings will address a lot of efficiency, code updates and things the average person might not recognize but are long overdue,” said Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs Brenda Jones. “Students will see the new rooms and technology, but there’s a lot of infrastructure in a building that’s 56 years old that will be improved.”
Winther Hall and Heide Hall’s renovations are part of the 2014 Master Plan due to needing improved mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, internal circulation, classroom technologies and accessibility.
Potential upcoming projects, also part of the 2014 Master Plan, include a new building near Laurentide Hall and renovations to the Roseman Building, more of the oldest academic buildings on campus.
“This project is one more step that we were finally able to achieve,” Jones said, “and now we can keep moving forward in the next phase of that plan.”
