The green fencing around Reis Hall has taken up a considerable amount of space, but not for nothing. On Jan. 12, Physical Plant began the 18-month project of renovating Reis Hall, the former second library on campus.
Last semester, it was announced to students that the construction of Reis Hall would be starting soon. The billboards facing North Main Street and Bentley Hall were installed, and an open house was hosted inside the building to showcase what the construction plans were. Now, Physical Plant has been at work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day as they prepare to completely remodel the building.
“I wanted it to be surprising,” said Byron Rich, assistant provost of academic innovation and associate professor of art. “I wanted people to walk into it and be kind of, like, taken aback a little bit and not expect just how of a contrast it is between the exterior and the interior. I wanted something that kind of embodied Star Trek: The Next Generation and Blade Runner.”
According to blueprints and construction plans, the inside of the building is going to be completely torn down and remodeled, while the exterior is going to remain close to what it looks like now. In order to keep the historic background of the building, architects intend to keep the exterior design the same.
“I want it to be a little bit gritty and represent 215 years of history. And that’s exactly what the renderings are. It’s going to be really quite wild,” Rich said.
The construction will be done in two phases, one which focuses on the exterior and the other on the interior. Phase One, which includes new sidewalks, roofing, windows and landscaping, is expected to be finished by September of 2025. Phase Two — the bigger of the two — is expected to be done by December of 2026.
“We have a pretty fast timeline,” said Joseph Michael, director of facilities. “We’re hoping to do a major renovation in less than two years. The goal is that every class should be able to go in and see it, which kind of inspired our timeline to finish it.”
Major renovation is correct. The fencing around Reis Hall is actually there to prevent students from getting hit with debris as construction workers tear down the entire west side of the building -– the side facing Brooks Hall. In its place will be a plaza and an amphitheater for students to gather and socialize. Inside the building, the second floor will be removed and the basement will be raised to give more room for the Allegheny Lab for Innovation & Creativity (ALIC), which is being moved from Arnold Hall. Surrounding the new ALIC Lab will be large glass windows similar to the ones in the private study rooms in the Lawrence Lee Pelletier Library. Next to the ALIC Lab will be room for student work, which will be visible from the outside of the building. The two upper levels of the building will house the Computer Science and Information Department, which is being moved from Alden Hall. Offices for professors and new classrooms with extremely advanced technology -– like smart boards built into the wall -– will be installed. A sidewalk connecting Reis Hall and Arter Hall will be created in an effort to make it easier to transport ALIC materials from one building to the other. Lastly, study rooms and social spaces will be added to ensure that students no matter their major can use the building.
“I’m excited for the move to Reis,” said Ainslee Plesko, ’28, who’s currently studying Computer Science and Information. “I’m excited to see how [the ALIC Lab] will allow students to express their creativity in a culturing environment.”
There is no doubt that the construction has a considerable effect on the students residing in Baldwin Hall, but Physical Plant has plans to ensure students are still getting adequate amounts of sleep.
“It’s all about safety,” Michael said. “We try to limit when the construction happens. We try not to do anything before 9 a.m. and we try to finish up by 5 p.m. The goal is to limit the construction when people are usually resting.”
Since the plans have been announced, questions regarding Alden Hall and the current ALIC Lab have arisen: what’s going to happen to them once everything transitions to Reis Hall? Plans regarding Alden Hall have not been confirmed yet, but it has been said that it will be receiving a refresh to possibly house the new English, Philosophy and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies departments once Oddfellows Hall is torn down. In terms of the ALIC Lab, the current space will be transformed into new Junior and Senior Seminar spaces.
“So, the Art Department is thriving right now. So, that’ll become an expansion area for student studios. For junior seminars and senior projects,” Rich said. “I don’t ultimately control the master plan but what we considered a couple years ago was to do a refresh of Alden to house English and possibly Philosophy.”
Regardless of what happens with Alden Hall and the current ALIC Lab, the college has relatively large plans for Reis Hall. So, the next time you walk past the construction of Reis, take a second to observe the current state of the building, because it will all be different by the end of 2026.