The University and William Rawn and Associates will undertake two new construction projects in the coming year as a part of the new Master Plan for the expansion of on-campus facilities.
In late May of this year, construction is slated to begin on a new music building, which will be located next to the Shirley and Alex Aidekman Arts Center on Talbot Ave. Also Sofia Gordon Hall, the new dormitory, which has been stalled in planning phases, will be built across the street from the music building, next to Stratton Hall.
Construction by Rawn and Associates, which will begin in May, is expected to last through the Fall of 2006. While construction is underway, some of the areas on either side of Talbot Ave. will be blocked off.
Tufts' Vice President of Operations John Roberto promised, however, that "the University will take whatever steps are necessary to preserve accessibility to the facilities."
"A great deal of time and energy will go into planning to mitigate negative effects during construction," Johnston said.
Construction is being planned to minimize disturbance to music classes and to ensure that the music library remains functional, according to Associate Professor of Music David Locke.
"We do not anticipate any major disruption," he said.
These projects are the first improvements to come out of the so-called Master Plan, -- a broad planning process agreed upon last year by the University and Rawn and Associates, the architecture firm hired by Tufts to work on the Master Plan.
According to Doug Johnston, principal architect for the project from Rawn and Associates, the plan will "guide future development at Tufts and provide recommendations for improvements [to the campus]."
Roberto described the plan as one that will "assess academic and research needs of the University for the next ten years."
The music faculty has long wanted a new building and the department has been advocating for it for the last 15 years, according to Associate Professor of Music Janet Schmalfeldt.
"Any plans that developed would simply fall apart," Schmalfeldt said.
The Department of Music is currently located in the former Provost's House at 48 Professor's Row, and some music classes and activities are held in the basement of Aidekman. Schmalfeldt called this "a poor teaching environment."
The new music building will have several uses. Primarily, it will house the music department and will include a 300-seat recital hall, practice and rehearsal rooms, improved classroom facilities to be shared with other departments, faculty offices, and teaching and studio space.
The facility will also become home to the University's music library, currently in Aidekman. "This will be the home of the music department," Schmalfeldt said.
Both Schmalfeldt and Locke believe that the creation of this facility will revive interest in the music department. "We are hoping to regain the faculty size that we had ten years ago. We are already searching for a new musicologist." Schmalfeldt said.
Locke noted that the facility would allow for additional programs and courses to be created, and hoped that the accessibility of the facility would attract more people to the music department. "The facility will be open to any members of the Tufts community who want to practice the piano, or practice with an a cappella group, or rock band." he said.
Sofia Gordon Hall will be a 125-student dormitory divided into suites. Roberto described the building as two towers that are connected on the first floor.
The University's Planning Committee involved members of the Tufts community and the cities to review ideas for the project. Johnston stated that student organizations, faculty committees, representatives from the Provost's office, Facilities, Development, and the Alumni Council were all represented or active at one time or another.
According to Roberto, the planning phase has gone smoothly and without much opposition. He said that the mayors of both Somerville and Medford saw a presentation of the construction plans for both Sofia Gordon Hall and the music building.
"Both [mayors] have been very supportive of the designs we put forward, and there is no concern at the city level," Roberto said.
Johnston also affirmed that "both communities will have further opportunities to provide input as the Master Plan evolves."
There was, however, significant opposition from the Somerville Historic Preservation Committee regarding the construction of Sophia Gordon Hal. This resulted in the delayed granting of a building permit for the new dorm on Professor's Row, due to the planned destruction of a building of "historic value." The plans were altered to locate the building solely on Talbot Ave, which prevented the demolition of the disputed building.
The building planning committee will soon advance a budget proposal to the Board of Trustees. Roberto reports that University Advancement has raised $13 to $14 million for the project.
This figure, however, has not changed since last spring, when Roberto said the University would need to raise at least $16.5 million before ground could be broken. The Office of the Provost has estimated the total cost of the building to be around $25 million. Schmalfeldt believes that without the help of an anonymous donor, who gave $4 million to the cause several years ago, the University wouldn't have progressed to the current planning stages for the building.
Sofia Gordon Hall and the new music building are the only projects that will begin construction this year. However, an anticipated third project is in what Roberto calls, "the programming phase, or very early stages [of planning]." This third project includes plans for a laboratory and also stems from the Master Plan.
Roberto, however, stressed that little has been decided about this project yet, as planning committees are "only beginning to identify the uses [for the planned building.]"
