When students returned to campus after winter break to begin the spring semester, many were surprised to find that they could no longer access Duke Hall due to renovations. Students have also been surprised by the total estimated cost of the project: $1,985,000.
“Usually when [the college] spends that kind of money I don’t like it, but in the case of Duke, it’s pretty much needed” said senior Daniel Worrall, an Office of Enrollment tour guide.
Worrall says that when his tour groups walks by Duke, he jokingly says, “This is Duke Hall. It was built in the 1800’s, and I don’t think it has been renovated since.”
In actuality, the building was built in 1897, with the last major renovations completed in 1967, with “very little” done since, according to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Phil Manz.
Director of Faculties and Campus Services Jon Varnell agrees. “The need for remodeling has been apparent for years,” he said.
When Worrall was asked what he thought Duke needed the most improvement, he gave a list of problems he had noticed. “The ceilings were rotting, the paint was peeling, the carpets were awful, the elevator didn’t work, there was a door that wouldn’t open unless you turned the handle a certain way, and I think there was one clock in the entire building … and it was wrong.”
All of these problems, and more, will be resolved by the project’s projected July 15 completion date. The list of improvements is extensive, with highlights including new floors, walls, lights, whiteboards, and heating and plumbing, and a completely revamped Leak Room.
According to Varnell, “The Leak room has been completely demolished down to the concrete, brick and studs. The removal in the Leak room is extensive, but so is the rest of the renovation throughout the building. The Leak room and the whole basement level had significant moisture problems.”
“Thank God,” Worrall said. “When I had class (Contemporary China in Film) in there last semester, people got sick. We had to move to Bryan Jr. (Auditorium.)”
Students are hardly the only ones excited about the renovations taking place. “The Leak Room was awful,” said German professor Dave Limburg, who held screenings of German films in the Leak Room last semester. “There was mold, and it was giving people trouble with allergies.”
Limburg is one of 13 faculty members who had offices in Duke. When renovations began, faculty members in the department of math were relocated to Archdale Hall, while faculty members in the department of foreign languages were moved to King Hall.
“I don’t mind it,” Limburg said of his temporary displacement. “It was tough getting settled, but it’s working out great.”
Planning for the renovation began in the spring of 2003, with actual renovation originally scheduled to begin in September of 2004. However, the plans were moved up to take advantage of “better contract pricing based on the time of year, and a more favorable schedule,” according to Varnell.
While the project has its critics, such as first-year Nathaniel Miller, who said that Duke was “fine from a utilitarian perspective … I would rather see the money go to updating the school’s servers,” the overwhelming response has been extremely supportive. For many in the college community, July 15th can’t arrive fast enough.