Former police station to be renovated as student center

A few dabs of fresh paint, a couple of wall partitions and some new phone lines, and pretty soon the former Division of Public Safety headquarters and annex in Superblock will be transformed into two new centers of student activity. The $1.2 million renovations to the "white house," at 3914 Locust Walk and the two-story annex behind it will begin Monday, turning the two historic buildings into new office space for several student groups currently housed in Houston Hall. The buildings should be ready by the end of May, when Houston Hall closes for extensive renovations. The renovated Houston Hall will form part of the $69 million Perelman Quad project, which will link Houston, Logan, Williams and College halls with the rehabilitated Irvine Auditorium, forming a new student center in the heart of campus. The massive project is scheduled for completion by 2000. The three-story white house was originally built in the early 19th century to house the minister for the adjacent St. Mary's Episcopalian church, according to Project Manager Mike Swiszcz. The location will house the new Civic House, a non-residential center intended to promote and assist community service projects and to facilitate service learning, according to English Professor Peter Conn, who will serve as the house's faculty advisor. Conn added that the office of the Program for Student-Community Involvement, currently located on the second floor of Houston Hall, will be "merged" into Civic House as well. The house was initially named the Community Service Hub, but students involved in its creation wavered between names until they finally settled on Civic House about three weeks ago. Among the many reasons the new name was chosen, according to planning committee member Hillary Aisenstein, was that the group "didn't like the word 'hub' because it kind of sounded funny." Aisenstein, a College junior, added that the future facility's proximity to West Philadelphia allows it to be accessible to both students and to the city community, making it "symbolically" important. "I like the fact that it looks like a little house," she said. "It looks like a nice warm place to go. There's really nothing like that in the center of campus." The red building, known as the "carriage house" and built in the mid-19th century, recently served as Public Safety's annex. It will be home to the Office of Student Life Activities and Facilities, Penn Student Agencies and the six branches of the undergraduate student government. The Undergraduate Assembly, the Nominations and Elections Committee, the Social Planning and Events Committee, the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the Student Activities Council and the class boards will all be "sharing this wonderful big room on the second floor," according to Director of Student Life Activities and Facilities Fran Walker. PSA and Walker's office will be on the first floor. "I think the big office with all the sharing is a prime opportunity for all the branches of student government to collaborate more," said UA Chairperson Noah Bilenker, a College junior. The Office of Student Life and the student groups will occupy the carriage house temporarily -- until they can reclaim their new offices in the renovated Houston Hall. Renovations to the white house will begin Monday and renovations to the carriage house will begin about two weeks later, Swiszcz said. He added that both buildings will undergo an exterior painting and cleaning. Both will get new carpeting, an interior paint job, new wall partitions and some upgrades to their mechanical systems and their telephone and Internet connections. Both will allow for handicapped access to their first floor.