construction

As Wesleyan University comes up on the final moments of its most recent round of campus improvements, eyes are already turning towards the future. Staff and faculty members are working alongside members of the Board of Trustees to chart the future course of the University’s infrastructure. “Every other month we are meeting to talk about the progress of our campus planning … we are in the very early stages of this work,” said Alan Rubacha, Assistant Vice President, Construction and Infrastructure. Rubacha said the committee is working in three different areas—energy and infrastructure, academic and administrative facility needs, and residential…

One of Wesleyan’s hallmarks is its ability to foster conversation, difference of opinion and creativity. It’s a place where thinking one way isn’t always the way. The experience of Wesleyan is unique, it’s open and it’s broad. It’s a community, but it’s also individual. Despite its nuances, it shares a few universal fixtures that most other universities have too. It has stately buildings with hallways lined with classrooms, its students can be seen rushing from lectures to library study rooms, and if you listen closely enough you can hear the faint beeping of construction vehicles backing up in the distance.…

In 2021 Wesleyan began construction on a reimagined southeast corner of Andrus Field. At the core of this work is an extension and gut renovation of the Public Affairs Center (PAC), and a new Davison Art Center gallery building. This latter project is part of a broader effort to expand the arts at Wesleyan beyond the Center for the Arts and to make them part of an inclusive, accessible, and interdisciplinary network of buildings at the core of campus. On June 4, as part of the Class of 2020's Weekend Celebration, Alan Rubacha, assistant vice president of construction and infrastructure…

Children enrolled in Wesleyan's Neighborhood Preschool (NPS) recently got a first glimpse at their new 7,000-square-foot daycare facility. The school is due to open next October at 60 Long Lane. During an early morning field trip on May 23, the students, parents, teachers, and caregivers met with project managers. Each child was given a safety vest and hard hat to wear into the construction zone. After a quick snack, the children were escorted to the site where they placed painted handprints on the exterior of the building. The new facility, which will accommodate 52 children, will replace the two current…

Construction will soon begin on an interdisciplinary space in the heart of Wesleyan's campus. On June 1, Wesleyan will break ground on a renovated and expanded Public Affairs Center (PAC) and new art gallery located between the east end of Olin Library and the campus walkway behind Judd Hall. The project involves a complete remodel of the current PAC building, which was constructed in 1927 as a dormitory; demolition of its east and west additions, which were added in 1954; and removal of the concrete and brick plaza, constructed in 1984. A new, three-story brick structure, designed by Newman Architects,…

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Wesleyan’s physical campus plays an important role in the distinctive residential liberal arts education it offers students. Facilities planning has been a focus on campus recently, with major upgrades in the works for the academic buildings housing Wesleyan’s art, social science, and science programs. “Our work on campus involves modernizing, upgrading, and, in some cases, expanding our core academic centers. These facilities will be transformed into spaces where courageous faculty and students can activate their ideas to make a difference in the world,” said President Michael Roth ’78. “We are taking steps now to ensure Wesleyan is a high-impact university…

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(By Jim H. Smith) For more than 30 years, Joseph Siry, the Kenan Professor of the Humanities, professor of art history, has had a love affair with Wesleyan’s iconic Center for the Arts, one of the great modernist architectural achievements in New England. “For me, it has been exceptionally helpful, psychologically, to work in and be around these buildings,” Siry said. The 11 modernist limestone buildings were little more than a decade old when he joined the faculty. Designed and built by the prominent Connecticut architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, the Center was Wesleyan’s first major building to…

On July 16, Physical Plant began spearheading a College Row sidewalk replacement project. After removing the existing concrete sidewalk, that spans from Church Street to Wyllys Avenue, contractors installed a 13-foot-wide asphalt path that will accommodate large groups of people, such as campus tours. The existing path was 8-feet-wide. "This sidewalk has a large amount of foot traffic all year round," said Wesleyan grounds manager Rob Borman. "The concrete sidewalks around campus also have shown considerable decay, primarily due to salt use in winter." The wider sidewalk also will allow grounds maintenance staff to remove snow faster and easier by using a larger machine. Asphalt,…

This summer, crews around campus are hard at work on several major maintenance and capital projects designed to support Wesleyan’s ultimate goal of creating a more interconnected and sustainable campus.

Dozens of major maintenance projects are underway this summer at Wesleyan. According to Roseann Sillasen, project manager for Physical Plant-Facilities, the renovations will affect several buildings on campus. The Davison Health Center is receiving a window restoration and solarium window replacement. The project includes restoration of existing wood sashes with new insulated glass to match current historic profiles. Several wood-framed student homes are receiving upgrades. 132 High Street, 84 Home Avenue, 118 Knowles Avenue and 10 Fountain Avenue are receiving kitchen and bathroom renovations, electrical upgrades, interior paint, floor finishes and porch work. The Sign House, at 64 Lawn Avenue is…

Campus Construction Updates: Fall 2023

Public Affairs Center, New Science Building Construction on Schedule

Class of 2020 Alumni Receive a Perimeter Tour of the Renovated PAC, Art Gallery

Children, Parents Tour the New Neighborhood Preschool Facility on Campus

Wesleyan to Construct Renewed Public Affairs Center, Art Gallery

Physical Plant-Facilities Begins Crucial Summer Projects

Wesleyan Invests in the Future of Campus

Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore Construction Is Underway

Siry Recalls the Design and Construction of Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts

College Row Receives Safer Sidewalk Replacement

Wesleyan Works on Utilities Infrastructure Improvements, Landscaping Projects this Summer

Construction, Campus Renovations Ongoing this Summer