Construction of a new humanities building at the University of Colorado at Boulder will be launched with groundbreaking ceremonies Thursday, April 2, on the campus聮 historic Norlin Quadrangle.
The building, which will house classrooms and several humanities departments, is the first fully state-funded humanities facility at CU-Boulder since the Hellems Building was completed in 1921, according to Chancellor Richard L. Byyny. Most campus buildings have been built with a combination of funding sources, such as revenue bonds, private donations and other sources.
"This important addition to the campus was made possible through the support of the Colorado General Assembly and the advocacy of CU President John Buechner who successfully made the case for a place where the humanities could shine," Byyny said.
Buechner said, "At the heart of any great public university is the excellence of its humanities programs. This new building represents our commitment to that ideal and the transformation of CU into a total learning environment."
The new building, to be located on the north side of Norlin Quadrangle, will contain about 20 classrooms primarily serving courses in the humanities and social sciences. Also, office space will be provided for departments of French and Italian, classics, religious studies and East Asian languages and literature.
The project also includes the renovation of Woodbury Arts and Sciences Building, built in 1890, which will be attached to the new structure. Renovation plans for Woodbury include the addition of modern technology and accessibility for the disabled.
Woodbury will house offices for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences Student Academic Affairs, as well as provide overflow space for academic departments.
Design, construction and furnishings for the new humanities building are budgeted at about $10.8 million, and renovation of Woodbury is budgeted at $3.9 million.
The new facility will be constructed on the last remaining site fronting on Norlin Quadrangle, the first campus open space ringed by buildings dating from 1876. The site has been reserved for a building on campus master plans since 1919.
The quadrangle and its buildings are listed on the national and state registers of historic places.
The style of the new humanities building will be consistent with the "Tuscan Vernacular" style established on the Boulder campus by architect Charles Z. Klauder in 1919. The body of the building will be local sandstone; window and door openings will be trimmed with limestone; and the roof will consist of red clay tiles.
Construction and renovation are expected to be completed in fall 1999.
Groundbreaking ceremonies will begin at 2 p.m., Thursday, April 2. Speakers will include Buechner, Vice Chancellor Phil DiStefano, Arts and Sciences Dean Peter Spear and architect Linda Wagner of the Bennett Wagner & Grody architecture firm. Also joining in the groundbreaking activities will be the chairs of the departments to be housed in the new building.
CU-Boulder offers 17 undergraduate major programs in the humanities, ranging from religious studies to languages and literature, not including the arts. About 2,500 undergraduates are majors in the humanities programs and many more students are enrolled in humanities courses each semester. The campus offers 11 graduate school programs in the humanities with about 400 students majoring at the graduate level.