MOUNT VERNON — Cornell College’s summer campus improvement projects include finishing renovations to Law Hall, which reopens in August as a campus technology center, and beginning work on Merner residence hall.
Law Hall, a 1925 Beaux Arts-style building, was closed during the 1999-2000 academic year for major interior renovation and exterior cosmetic work. When the building reopens for classes this fall, Law Hall will boast high-tech classrooms primarily for math, computer science and psychology, plus the central hardware of the high-speed campus network. The Law Hall project cost $6.4 million.
Merner will be closed during the 2000-01 academic year for a $3.5 million renovation. Built in 1936 as a men’s dormitory, Merner went coed in 1978 and accommodates 131 students on four levels. Renovations will include new heating, plumbing and electrical systems; new furnishings; new windows and roof; and tuck pointing. The project will be completed in summer 2001. During the year that Merner is closed, students will be housed in available rooms in Cornell’s eight other residence halls. Cornell also will allow 60 students to live off campus.
Work on the eight-lane, all-weather track surrounding the football field in Ash Park will be finished in June after surface coatings and lane markings are applied, enabling the track to open for competition in spring 2001. Renovation of the track began in summer 1999. The project cost approximately $450,000.
The greenhouse on the southwest side of West Science Center will undergo a complete renovation thanks to a $25,000 donation from 1962 graduate Rebecca Wearin Pulk of Glenwood, Iowa. Improvements will include a new exterior and flooring, plus enhanced environmental controls. The greenhouse is used by classes and student researchers.
Cornell’s campus includes 41 buildings on 129 acres. It is the only campus listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places.