College holds court on proposed Proctor plans

Author: Cloe Shasha

President of Freeman French Freeman Architecture Jesse Beck led a campus-wide Open Forum on Proposed Renovations to Proctor Hall on April 11. A panel of administrators sat on stage to answer questions and provide information about the new building at the meeting for an audience of 25 students.

Beck presented blueprints of Proctor's three levels and the architect's vision for the layout of Woodstove Lounge and the Dining Hall.

Associate Vice President for Facilities Susan Personette emphasized that she and the other people involved in the reconstruction of Proctor want students' input to be wholeheartedly considered.

"Last year, we involved students in the first round of renovation plans for Proctor, but we got a small turnout," Personette said. "This surprised us because people are so passionate about Proctor. We are holding this meeting now because we want to make sure that the renovation meets the needs of the students, so we really want people to give us feedback."

While some of the renovation plans are small, others include significant changes. On the first level, the bookstore will be expanded, and the kitchen, which is currently located on the level below the dining hall, will be renovated. Some of the food will be prepared in front of the students in the dining hall on the main level in the same way that it is cooked in Atwater and Ross Dining Halls.

Outside and around the terrace, new stairs and new sidewalks are slated to be built in the front of the building. Green grass will line the sides of the terrace.

A co-curricular space, proposed by President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz, will be built for unofficial campus events, rehearsals and meetings. The space will span 50 by 30 feet and will include lighting and seating.

Construction workers will need to remove certain older aspects of the building that could pose health hazards before full renovations can occur.

"There is asbestos tile in the structures of the first level of the building," said Project Manager II Mark Gleason. "That is being cleared right now."

On the second level, the dining hall will have a new layout. The food services will be clustered together in the dining room so that the main space can be used as a flex space for events. Private dining spaces will be built to accommodate more intimate settings for group meals. The servery space will be improved.

"We are trying to maintain the feeling and the character of Proctor, but we want to deal with some of the technical issues," Beck said. "In the end, it will look and feel a lot like the existing Proctor. We want to do good things with the architectural spaces, and we will work on window treatments, wood ceilings, new carpets, new tables and chairs."

The Woodstove Lounge will be upgraded with tall French windows that open to the terrace, and a real fireplace. The terrace will connect to the level of the lounge with a raised deck and new built-in wooden benches around a banister.

In response to a student's comment about preserving Proctor's atmosphere, Beck said, "In the Woodstove Lounge, there are going to be circular wooden structures with a hole for the light on top. The light bulbs will shine down through them. That is how we intend to keep the older, tacky feel."

Beck and the panel asked the students at the forum what kinds of furniture, paint and layout they would like to see in the new spaces of Proctor.

Several students expressed a desire for updated curtains and carpeting, while others want to preserve the current decor.

"Proctor is a comfortable place on campus," said Bente Madson '11. "I have had three-hour dinners there. My biggest fear is that with the new renovations, Proctor will feel institutional. I think it is important the new acoustics and the new tables and chairs you bring in do not lose the homey feel of Proctor. Maybe we should keep the tacky curtains. The new tables and chairs in Ross are fine, but you absolutely can't put those same ones in Proctor. As far as colors, I think you could be a little bold. And can we keep the plants?"

Personette took notes after Madson spoke and agreed to incorporate plants into the new interior design.

Students expressed concern about the food service and the preservation of the copious salad bar.

"One of the hallmarks of Proctor is the ability to improvise," said Kyle Hunter '11. "For example, the spice rack and salad bar are huge. I don't want the salad bar to be downsized in any way."

The faculty panel confirmed the preservation and enhancement of Proctor's benefits.

"The salad bar will remain the largest salad bar on campus," said General Manager Commons Ops Bradley Koehler. "The panini machine area will be enhanced to be bigger and better than it is now. We've heard from students that the most popular element of Proctor is that students can put their own food together, so we want to maintain that."

Proctor currently holds space for a total of 350 seats, with 130 of those seats on the mezzanine above the main level. The renovations include plans to shift the arrangements of the chairs, but there will be no net change in the number of seats available.

"Our real goal is to focus our budget on the shell of the building rather than to add new additions," said Personette. "In the main dining space, we could have doors that slide back or fold back in certain spaces for compartmentalized divisions. Groups that want small dinners could use those closed spaces, but they could be opened up at other times. We do not, however, have much of an interior design scheme yet."

Hunter said he did not see a need for an extra wall in the main dining space.

"Since we don't have trays, we end up getting up several times to serve ourselves food," said Hunter. "Having a wall could block our ability to move around the dining hall freely."

On the third level, Redfield Proctor and the radio station will still exist. The new elevator will be connected to the mezzanine in order to serve all three levels of the building.

The architects involved in Proctor's reconstruction will hold another feedback meeting in September 2008 that will focus on the interior design of the building.

"It's really important to us to make sure that this fits what you want," Personette said. "We really want students' input."