Allen Hall facelift brings new conference room, darkroom

The final step of the Allen Hall construction work at the journalism school in will be almost finished this fall, the week before students return.

Workers are rebuilding the third floor of the east wing of Allen Hall and adding a large seminar room on the ground floor.

"We are renovating the photo darkroom on the third floor, turning that into a digital darkroom," journalism Associate Dean Al Stavitsky said.

The ground floor is also slated to be the Hall of Achievement for faculty and students, Stavitsky said." There'll be some final touches after the completion date," University construction project manager Alex Gordon said. "But it won't interfere with classes."

The Allen Hall construction is part of an ongoing series of summer improvement projects that began on the building in 1996 with the addition of the TV studios on the ground floor, Gordon said.

That was just phase one, with construction adding student facilities such as the Duniway Center, as well as providing more space for classrooms.

Students taking summer classes in Allen Hall may have noticed the project's progression as workers on the 2G construction team are now finishing phase six of the summer building project.

"I'd like to compliment the students and the faculty for their patience," Gordon said. "It's very difficult to work in a building that's being remodeled."

Before the 1996-97 construction, the ground floor housed a printing press for University Printing and Mailing Services. Also, some of the faculty and staff worked out of Villard Hall when the telecommunications and film department was split from the rest of the journalism school. University Printing moved to the Continuing Education Center, so Allen Hall had room for all of the journalism faculty and staff to work in the same building.

"What has happened in the last few years is a dramatic improvement to the facilities," journalism Professor Duncan McDonald said.

However, the improvements have presented a few challenges.

"One of the challenges of this construction is scheduling, trying to get it finished by the beginning of the fall term," Gordon said.

But for now, he said, the work seems to be running on schedule.

Contact the reporterat jilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.

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