It’s construction season at Penn State. Here are 5 projects you should be aware of
The spring semester is over and Penn Staters are holding graduation celebrations, which can only mean one thing in Happy Valley.
It’s construction season.
Penn State recently outlined two dozen different construction plans for University Park this summer, counting both new and continued construction, that ranges from significant improvements to the plaza near the Pattee and Paterno libraries to various upgrades at the HUB-Robeson Center such as a Starbucks expansion.
Here is a closer look at some of the biggest and/or most visible projects:
1. Palmer Museum of Art (at the Arboretum)
When it will open: Spring 2024
Where it is: Near East Park Avenue and Bigler Road (By the Arboretum)
Synopsis: Not to be mistaken with the old Palmer Museum of Art on Curtin Road, this new $85 million facility near The Arboretum at Penn State has been under construction since July 2021. The larger museum will nearly double the pieces on display with 71,000 square feet, and officials previously said they also expect annual attendance to more than double. There will be flexible indoor event spaces and an outdoor event terrace that can host various public (and private) events, along with multiple new educational spaces that include two classrooms.
As far as the 51-year-old building on Curtin Road, it is set to close Sunday. Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers told the CDT it would be “repurposed as a vibrant student educational space.” But further details will be determined at a later time by a university task force.
2. Penn State Legacy Plaza
When it will open: Before Sept. 2 (football season opener)
Where it is: Outside Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road
Synopsis: This plaza project, announced in March by the athletic department, will feature separate plaques outlining each of the Penn State football team’s 136 seasons, with year-by-year information on the schedules, results and team captains. Fans are also be able to purchase pavers, or granite bricks with personalized inscriptions, that will be located near the plaques and benches.
The deadline to be included in the first installation is May 25. Costs for the pavers vary from $350 for a 4x8 brick (1-3 lines of text) to $1,000 for a 12x12 brick (1-5 lines of text). Fans can also purchase replica bricks to display at home, for between $125 and $500. More information is available at pennstatelegacyplaza.com.
3. Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building
When it will open: Late 2024
Where it is: Between Park Avenue and Fischer Road (Between Mateer and Ford buildings)
Synopsis: This $128 million building is especially significant for students, considering a majority take at least one-third of their classes in the liberal arts, regardless of major. Dean Clarence Lang once explained, as a result, he expected nearly every Penn State student to “benefit in some way from the construction of this new building.”
The 143,000-square-foot brick-and-limestone structure will house many of University Park’s social-science departments and institutes — including the departments of anthropology, political science, and sociology and criminology; the schools of public policy and international affairs; the Population Research Institute; the McCourtney Institute for Democracy; the Matson Museum of Anthropology; and the Criminal Justice Research Center. Matson Museum Director James Doyle already has unique plans to seriously upgrade the space.
4. College of Engineering Research and Teaching Space 1
When it will open: Summer 2024
Where it is: West campus (Near White Course Drive)
Synopsis: This $228 million building, known as “West 1” for short, is set to become one of the largest academic buildings at University Park. At 290,000 square feet, it will be nearly 40% larger than the Smeal College of Business Building. West 1 will contain multidisciplinary research and teaching labs, general purpose classrooms, computer labs, office and administrative spaces, a small library, food service and dedicated student common areas. It will also house the college’s departments of aerospace, architectural, and civil and environmental engineering.
This project was initially expected to be completed in December 2023 but, due to the pandemic, it was pushed back. West 2, which is about one-third the size of West 1, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony in February.
5. East Halls dorms (renovations)
When it will open: July 2024 for the final phase (3 residence halls)
Where it is: East campus (Off Curtin Road)
Synopsis: Unlike the other projects on this list, this technically isn’t a new building or plaza construction — but it might as well be. The sixth and final phase of the effort to modernize the 16-building East Halls complex just got underway and involves Snyder, Stone and Hastings halls. Penn State’s vice president for facilities management said this $95.3 million final phase would serve as “a complete facility renewal” and act as a “full gut renovation” of the three residence halls.
The renovations will add air conditioning, semi-private bathrooms, community kitchens, music practice rooms, gaming spaces, meditation rooms, outdoor enhancements, etc. The renovations are also expected to add 50 years to the life of the three buildings, which were built in the 1960s, and will replace the boilers, plumbing, heating and roofs, insulation, etc. The previous phase — which included Bigler, Curtin and Packer halls — is also still underway but should be finished before fall 2023 move-in.
