Campanile's spire to be repaired
Sather Tower will be closed for two weeks beginning May 26
| 26 May2009
Other construction updates
- The steam line under Campanile Way will be repaired starting this summer. The campus is heated with steam from the cogeneration plant located north of the Recreational Sports Facility. One of the main distribution lines, which runs under Campanile Way, needs upgrading and maintenance work.
- Construction has begun at the site that will be the future home of the Richard C. Blum Center for Developing Economies, adjacent to the historic Naval Architecture Building (NAB). The NAB, which will be renovated as part of the project, will also house the department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. The project is slated for completion in fall 2010.
- New bike racks are being installed this summer at many locations around campus, including the Hearst Women's Gym, the Bancroft Parking Structure, Giannini Hall, Wellman Hall, and Mulford Hall.
- Work began earlier this month to improve bicycle parking near Wurster Hall and to update pathways on College Plaza, which is adjacent to Boalt Hall. The pedestrian path from the plaza's fountain to the Archaeological Research Facility (ARF) will be closed for the summer. During this construction, ARF's entrance will be accessible by going around the back of Wurster Hall.
- Although renovation of Durant Hall started last fall, because the project is being funded by the state and all funds are frozen, work has been put on hold.
BERKELEY — Sather Tower, better known as the Campanile, will be having a little work done this summer. And what nonagenarian doesn't need a little cosmetic intervention?
The Campanile has been an icon on the Berkeley campus since it opened in 1914. Now, after 95 years, the structure's marble spire requires repair and cleaning — one of the tasks this summer's project will undertake — and its beacon will be made more secure. The project includes roof repair at the top of the tower.
"We're trying to do the work at a time that would have the least impact on campus," says Capital Projects communications manager Christine Shaff. The work is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the fall semester.
The Campanile will be open to visitors most of the summer, though it will be closed for safety reasons when a construction crane is temporarily onsite. The first closure is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, through Tuesday, June 9. The tower is expected to be closed twice more during the summer; closure dates will be posted at the Campanile and on the campus Visitor Center website.
During construction, the area around the Campanile will be closed for safety reasons. Birge Hall's western entrance will be blocked during the project; visitors can access the building through a temporary main entrance on the east side.
Questions about the Campanile repair project should be directed to Christine Shaff at 643-4793 or cshaff@berkeley.edu.