Provost Stanley Chodorow emerged from Houston Hall's birthday celebration yesterday to talk with students informally about the building's future in the Perelman Quadrangle. Alternating between various diagrams displayed in Bodek Lounge, Chodorow engaged students with a part-presentation, part-question-and-answer session on the plans for Houston Hall and Irvine Auditorium in the Perelman Quad. Valerie Swain-Cade McCoullum, vice provost for University Life, was also on-hand to answer students' questions. As they waited for Chodorow to arrive, several student members of the Performing Arts Council voiced their concern to McCoullum that they receive adequate office and practice space in the refurbished buildings. McCoullum agreed, but pointed out that the former Christian Science Church at 40th and Walnut streets -- a component of "Perelman Plus" -- will include practice and staging space for student performing groups. McCoullum said student groups can utilize the building as soon as the Facilities Planning Department approves it for their use. Commenting on the Perelman Plus idea, Chodorow said he would like to see the Mellon Bank building at 36th nd Walnut streets become another place to serve the needs of students. Chodorow said he would like to see the Mellon Bank leave the building and move the University of Pennsylvania Federal Student Credit Union there. There is no space planned for UPFSCU in the Perelman Quad, which is currently located on the third floor of Houston Hall. Mark Corcoran, a Nursing sophomore and board member of Penn Players, said his main concern was replacing the prop room in the basement of Irvine Auditorium. Throughout his presentation, as Chodorow highlighted proposed study areas, open cafes and office spaces in the four-building Perelman Quad, students raised the issue of replacing the prop space several times. Chodorow said he has asked Art Gravina, vice president for Facilities Management, to scour the campus for an appropriate replacement site for the storage space. Chodorow also promised students that the contents of the storage room in Irvine Auditorium would not be moved until another space is secured for them. He agreed with students that the new space would have to be an improvement on the room's current location below Irvine Auditorium. "If I were a fire marshall, I'd have you out of there in about 10 seconds," Chodorow quipped. Those in attendance also quizzed Chodorow about how student group space would be allocated and how security issues would be resolved. He explained that there will be an open office suite with desks and lockers for student groups in Houston Hall. Groups would apply for the spaces each year. In addition, Chodorow said, the basement of Irvine Auditorium would be made into both practice and office space for performance groups. The specially equipped audio-visual rooms on the bottom floor of Williams Hall will be moved elsewhere to make room for more student group space, he said. And Chodorow outlined a plan for a movable stage and seats for the current theater in Houston Hall. He said engineers are studying the space to improve its technical capabilities. In addition, he conveyed a plan for a new sound system in Irvine Auditorium that will make the space usable for the differing needs of the Curtis Organ, speeches and musical performances. The side balconies of the auditorium will be removed, he said, and a sound-proof practice space will be built above the stage. Plans for the renovated Houston Hall include fewer, but wider, spaces for retail use than now, he said. There will not be space for all the shops that are currently located in the student union. Chodorow added that the administration "will have to make choices" about how the retail spaces are to be used, adding that the building will definitely contain a convenience store. A large kitchen will replace some of the retail stores on the lower floor and will service the Hall of Flags. Chodorow said patrons will be able to buy food from the kitchen with their PennCards on a debit system or pay with cash. Construction work for the Perelman Quad will begin with work on Logan Hall on January 29, Chodorow said.
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