More than a century after Old Cabell Hall first closed off the south end of the Lawn, changes are coming that would reopen the landscape, albeit slowly.
Originally conceived as a "Digital Academical Village" with a residential component in the late 1990s, the South Lawn Project has since been scaled back in scope, though it would still involve major changes to the University's architectural landscape.
The project is expected to cost nearly $150 million and would include an additional 110,000 square feet of classroom space and the construction of a plaza above Jefferson Park Avenue.
In contrast to the towering edifice of New Cabell Hall, buildings on the new South Lawn will integrate with the terraced landscape, providing transitions across an approximately 30 foot drop in elevation on the site, Project Co-Chair Richard Minturn said.
"These are going to be pretty low buildings," he said.
Bridging the Lawn
When it was presented to the Board of Visitors in the fall of 2001, the South Lawn project was approved as a single design, only to be constructed once fully funded. In April, project planners will ask the Board to approve splitting the project into two phases in order to expedite completion, said Colette Sheehy, University vice-president for management and budget.
The first phase would involve construction of academic buildings where a parking lot currently sits on Jefferson Park Avenue, across the street from New Cabell. Parking facilities would then be added elsewhere, though a final site has not been selected. Likely candidates include a garage below the buildings or on Brandon Avenue where the Max Kade German House currently sits awaiting its impending demolition.
To facilitate pedestrian traffic, Jefferson Park Avenue would be sunk down several feet, allowing for an overhead walkway to serve as a continuation of the terraced landscape.
"They're trying to make it an extension of the Lawn," Sheehy said.
As the first phase is completed, providing enough replacement classroom space to allow for the demolition of New Cabell, funding is planned to continue for the construction of a series of potentially connected buildings in the vacated space.
Under the best case scenario envisioned by planners, the project would be completed around the end of the decade, Sheehy said, long after current students have graduated.
Until then, major renovations are not planned for New Cabell, which will remain the main building space for classes on the Lawn.
Planning for the future
One goal of the South Lawn project will be to expand the availability of diverse classroom space. The rooms in New Cabell are similar in size, with most accommodating between 20 and 100 students. With classes increasingly being taught as large lectures with complimentary smaller discussion sections, these configurations are no longer adequate, said Assistant Provost Wynne Stuart.
As a result, new buildings on the South Lawn are being planned to accommodate classes of more than 300 students in addition to those with less than 40, she said.
Also included in the South Lawn design initiative are the renovations of Cocke and Rouss Halls, which are being considered as separate projects for planning and funding purposes.
Cocke Hall will undergo renovation beginning this summer, with an expected completion date by the end of 2005. The building will be nearly gutted as classrooms are added and repairs to the exterior are made, Minturn said.
Once complete, Cocke will feature a new multipurpose reception area facing the nearby amphitheater along with permanent access features for the disabled, including an entrance ramp and elevator.
Similarly, Rouss Hall is slated for major renovation and expansion beginning this summer, assuming sufficient funds have been raised. The building on the Lawn would accommodate a relocated Commerce School. This would coincide with a move by the economics department from Rouss to the Commerce School's current home in Monroe Hall.
Though other building configurations have not been finalized, tentative plan has the history, politics and religious studies departments moving across Jefferson Park Avenue into new buildings, with classics and philosophy relocating to a newly renovated Cocke Hall.
Other details, such as what departments would occupy Randall Hall once it is vacated by the history department and whether some foreign language departments would also share a building with religious studies have yet to be determined.
Wherever departmental faculty offices are eventually located, classes will continue to be held in a variety settings based on size and availability, Stuart said.
"We want to put classes in the best room possible," she said.
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