While Hokies are away, construction is in full swing | News
Maybe you used your summer vacation to relax with a nonalcoholic drink in your hand on a warm sunny beach. But back in Blacksburg, construction workers did not have that luxury. While you were sipping pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, they were working on major renovations across campus, from the Upper Quad to Sandy Hall.
Demolition started in June on Thomas and Monteith halls, two aging Corps of Cadets residence halls on the Upper Quad. Several years ago, they complemented Brodie and Rasche halls to house the Corps. Brodie and Rasche were razed June 2015 and November 2013, respectively.
Since then, the aging brick buildings have been replaced by two new, Hokie Stone-clad residence halls. Pearson Hall opened in November 2015 after significant construction delays, contributing to a housing crunch on campus. Its sibling building, known only as New Cadet Hall, will house cadets for the first time this fall.
This summer, construction crews worked on finishing a set of new stairs leading to the Upper Quad from Alumni Mall. They also moved a statue of William Addison Caldwell, Tech’s first student in 1872, from its previous home between Major Williams and Shanks halls to the stairs.
Thomas and Monteith are not the only residence halls seeing changes over the summer. Construction has also started on a major renovation of O’Shaughnessy Hall. The $21.5 million project will transform the building into a modern residence hall, in the style of Pearson Hall.
O’Shag, built in 1966, will see the number of students it can house drop slightly — plans call for the population to drop from 341 this past academic year to 335 when it opens, which is expected in August 2018. However, the building will gain an apartment for a live-in faculty member, office space, a new class, a faculty meeting area and a new living room. It is planned to be the new home of the Residential Leadership Community, a living-learning community that focuses on leadership studies and development.
The building will also gain upgraded furnishings, a relandscaped courtyard and a glass-enclosed stairway. O’Shag will also gain air conditioning, making it the first of the three large residence halls on the Prairie Quad (with Pritchard and Lee halls) to have it.
Several academic buildings are also seeing major renovations, including Davidson and Sandy halls and the Liberal Arts Building. The renovations together are expected to cost $35 million and should be finished by summer 2018.
Crews will completely overhaul the front section of Davidson Hall, which dates to the 1930s. Renovations include updates to classrooms and offices, replacing windows and making repairs to the stone masonry on the building’s facade. The renovation will bring that portion of the building up to speed with the middle and back sections, which underwent a major retrofit in 2014.
Sandy Hall, the home of the School of Neuroscience built in 1924, will have its interior significantly renovated. Two additions will also be built on the building on the side of the building facing the Ag Quad.
The Liberal Arts Building, built in 1899, will also see an extensive renovation to both its interior and exterior. The changes will include a small addition on the northwest end of the building. When finished, the building — which currently is used by the School of Performing Arts and Cinema and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences — will house academic offices.
Derring Hall is also seeing some renovations to labs on the fifth floor. The $770,000 project is expected to wrap up in August. Construction crews are also adding a Hokie Stone outdoor amphitheater between the Moss Arts Center and Pearson Hall.
Away from the academic side of campus, a $18 million project to renovate the baseball facilities at English Field is continuing. The stadium will include a new press box tower, club seating behind the visitors’ dugout and seating for 4,000 fans. The design also includes an arch at the entrance, similar in design to Torgersen Bridge.
Rector Field House is also undergoing renovations. New seating is being added along with an addition in the southwest corner of the building with areas for weight throw and shot put. The entrance on the building’s east side is being expanded and a north wing will be added. In total, the building will be expanded by about 32,000 square feet.
On Oak Lane near the Virginia Tech Golf Course, a new unmanned-aerial-vehicle netted facility will be finished this fall. The facility will feature a 300-foot-long, 120-foot-wide and 85-foot-tall netted cage for drone research.
Students returning to campus may have noticed progress on the interchange between Southgate Drive and U.S. 460. The project is not expected to finish until December 2018, but intermittent lane closures were required over the summer to allow installation of parts of the new overpass.
Many other smaller projects were completed all around campus this summer. Together, they made for a busy summer for construction.
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