BREAKING GROUND: Construction begins on Perelman Quad

The much-anticipated first step in construction of the Perelman Quadrangle began yesterday, as the interior walls of Logan Hall were torn down. The Perelman Quad, which will link Logan, Williams and Houston halls with Irvine Auditorium, was scheduled to break ground by the beginning of 1996. "We said we would start in January, and it's January," Provost Stanley Chodorow said yesterday, after admitting that he, like many University students, occasionally procrastinates. According to project manager Bill Wilkinson, the demolition project will continue for the next six months, beginning on the first floor of Logan Hall. Chodorow said that once the demolition is complete, the "real work" -- the actual construction -- will continue for 17 to 18 months, beginning this summer. He added that it is a challenge to work around the needs of students while trying to move ahead with construction. "We need to plan construction with the least distraction to students," Chodorow said. The provost added that Logan Hall's $9.2 million interior renovation will be relatively simple, since the building has only one classroom in use. But project planner Reyhan Larimer said it will be a challenge to restore the building, since it was originally built in 1880. "You have to unearth what is original," she said. Such restorations include an original sky light and the building's main staircase. Larimer added that the first four floors of the building will be designated for the offices of the College of Arts and Sciences. The second floor will contain classrooms and offices, and the third floor will house the Classical, Religious and Women's Studies departments, along with the History and Sociology of Science Department. Construction will then move to the ground level, where a classroom, an art gallery and a multi-purpose room will be created as a part of the $60 million Perelman Quad project, Larimer added. According to Wilkinson, the exterior of Logan Hall was recently renovated at a cost of $8.8 million. He said that "final touches," such as a staircase facing Williams Hall, will be completed by the time students return from spring break. Chodorow predicted that Logan Hall will be complete and occupied by January of 1998. He added that the entire Perelman Quad will be constructed within four years. Williams Hall and Irvine Auditorium will be the next two buildings to undergo construction, Chodorow said. Houston Hall will be the last building of the Perelman Quad to see renovations begin.