Inside Iowa State

May 20, 2005

Many benefit from Carver, Pearson remodeling projects

by Anne Krapfl

If you avoided them this past academic year because you don't like construction dust, Carver and Pearson halls -- at least parts of them -- are ready for curious gawkers. The first phases of renovation plans are complete in both buildings, with phase 2 under way or nearly ready to begin.

While the renovations were bid and completed independently, long-term planning for who moves into renovated spaces as they're completed has been a big-picture process involving both buildings, said Margie Tabor, a campus space management coordinator.

"We went through a lengthy process to see who would get space - and where," she said. Planning involved the math, computer science, English, foreign languages and literatures and theater departments. Several programs also benefited when renovated space in Carver Hall was reallocated.

"The good news is that so many were able to benefit from the space in Carver and Pearson and from the remodeling projects," she said.

Here's a quick breakout of who has landed where.

Carver Hall

About 16 months after the College of Business left Carver Hall for its new home in the Gerdin Building, residents are moving into renovated spaces on the ground, first, second and third levels of Carver. (Fourth floor, previously home to the math department, remains math faculty offices and math labs. The math department office did move to third floor.)

The chief benefactor of the changes is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Four renovated classrooms in Carver also are available for general university use.

"The new space in Carver Hall is larger and/or better space than the facilities LAS departments and programs previously were housed in," said Doug Epperson, associate dean in LAS. "This is space that was desperately needed by many areas."

The Carver renovation is a $2 million project. Phase 1 has been completed. Phase 2 begins this month and should wrap up in October, said project manager Tom Oftedal. Phase 2 will replace the corridor ceilings and lights and all exterior doors. By August, it also will renovate space on the ground level for LAS' Center for On-line Learning, which presently has staff office space in Science II and a testing center in Gilman.

Following is a list of the rest of Carver Hall tenants, by floor:

First floor

• (LAS) Institute of Science and Society, 129-131 Carver (from Ross Hall)
• (LAS) Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, 171 Carver (from Beardshear Hall)

Second floor

• (LAS) new Center for American Intercultural Studies, 208 Carver suite, consists of the college's ethnic studies programs: American Indian studies, African American studies, Asian American Studies and U.S. Latino/a studies
• Program for Women in Science and Engineering 218 Carver (from Lab of Mechanics)

Third floor

• Math faculty offices (from fourth floor)
• Math department office, 396 Carver (from fourth floor)
• Psychology faculty offices* (from Lagomarcino)
• English faculty offices* (from Ross Hall)
• English Writing Center, 300 Carver (from Ross Hall)
• (English) Center for New Media, 338 Carver
• Program in Speech Communication, Interpersonal and Rhetorical Communication office, 308 Carver (from Pearson Hall)
• Communication Studies office, 318-320 Carver
• Office of Precollegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted 357 Carver (from Pearson Hall)

*English and psychology department offices remain in Ross and Lagomarcino halls, respectively

Fourth floor

• Math faculty offices

Pearson Hall

Phase 1 of the Pearson renovation created new office suites on the first floor for the Graduate College and Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance administration.

It also gave a new look (floor, walls and ceiling) to the main floor corridor and updated restrooms. One of the key components of the Pearson project will be to install a fire sprinkler system throughout the building. Phase 2, which involves the ground, second and third floors, has begun and will not be as extensive, according to project manager Steve Prater. Corridor ceilings and lighting will be improved as the fire sprinkler system is going in, restrooms will be updated for federal accessibility codes and faculty offices on the west side of the building will be renovated with new carpet and ceilings. The department of foreign languages and literatures' resource center and theater's rehearsal studio also will be redone.

When theater and foreign languages faculty return to second and third floors late fall semester from the perennial temporary quarters in the basement, that space will be completely remodeled and converted to five computer labs for the computer science department and a design lab for the theater department.

Prater said lower-than-anticipated bids on the two phases will allow the university to do some mechanical and electrical upgrades in a third phase, for which planning is just beginning.

The Graduate College administrative offices are now in renovated space on the first floor of Pearson Hall. The Graduate College previously was in the Pearson basement. Photo by Bob Elbert.

"The good news is that so many were able to benefit from the space in Carver and Pearson and from the remodeling projects."

Margie Tabor, campus space management coordinator