Campus construction continues

Students returning to campus in the fall may see a noticeably different place from the one they left, thanks to ongoing construction and renovation projects totaling well over $150 million. Bennett Hall, home to the English Department, is undergoing extensive internal modifications. The $20.9 million project, set to be completed in August, was visible at 34th and Walnut streets throughout the academic year. Once the renovations are complete, the English Department -- which has been temporarily relocated to the University City Science Center at 36th and Market streets -- will be able to enjoy revamped classrooms as well as upgraded heating and air conditioning systems. Skirkanich Hall, the future home of the Bioengineering Department, has been under construction since last summer, with completion scheduled for next February. The building is named for Peter Skirkanich, a Penn trustee who donated $10 million for the $42.2 million project. This is the largest gift ever received by the School of Engineering and Applied Science. On Hill Square, the new home of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies is being built at a cost of $5.2 million and is scheduled for completion in October. The MCEAS has lacked a permanent home since its creation in 1978. Among the most high-profile of the projects, however, are the renovations to Harnwell College House. Harnwell is the last of the three high rises to be updated in an undertaking that cost a total of almost $80 million. The construction has fenced off the section of Locust Walk in front of the building since it began in March and should be completed by the time Harnwell residents move in this fall. The building will get new windows, a retouched facade, several new rooms and an improved lobby. Redecoration at Harnwell and nearby DuBois College House resulted this past week in the discarding of trash bins full of furniture. Additionally, the School of Veterinary Medicine have a new building to call its own come next summer. The $70.7 million undertaking at 38th Street and Baltimore Avenue necessitated the realigning of the roads in the immediate vicinity.