After being closed for 18 months to undergo a complete renovation of its interior, Olive Tjaden Hall reopened this week as the new home of the Department of Art in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning.
The $8 million dollar project, which retained Tjaden Hall's historic exterior, reconfigured and modernized the 42,500-square-foot interior space. Specially equipped multimedia technology classrooms, a studio for performance and installation art, a six-story atrium and two student lounges are among the building's key attractions. A new art gallery, the Olive Tjaden Gallery, is located on the first floor. Photography students will benefit from the roomy, well-ventilated photo labs and a 20-student darkroom. Print-making workshops are on the ground floor.
In order to renovate the interior, temporary steel beams were used to support the attic so existing supports could be removed. Tjaden Hall's two-story auditorium was replaced with two stories of classroom and office space. With little exception, the wood frame interior was entirely removed and replaced with all new steel and concrete construction. Only a wooden staircase remains from the original interior. The 18-month work schedule kept construction crews working around the clock to ready the building for the beginning of the semester.
"This was a challenging and aggressive schedule," said project manager Robert Blakeney of Cornell's Planning, Design and Construction office, "but one that has enabled us to deliver a state-of-the-art, up-to-code facility that is expressly suited for instruction in the fine arts."
The renovation also has brought Tjaden Hall into compliance with all local, state and federal building safety standards. The building has updated ventilation systems, fire-protected corridors and an oversized elevator that will accommodate individuals with disabilities and make it easier for students to haul large works of art from the top floor to the ground floor.
"The primary purpose of this renovation was to address health and safety issues," said Roberto Bertoia, associate professor and chair of the art department. "But through this renovation, we were also able to implement some changes, such as the digital arts lab, that will take the department through the next 25 years."
The only significant change to the exterior of Tjaden Hall was the replacement of a steeple on the southwest stair tower. The original steeple was damaged during a storm in the 1950s. The new 30-foot, 20-ton steeple was lifted into place this past Sept. 23 amid much fanfare. The steeple raising attracted more than 100 onlookers. The steeple's finial -- a series of five arches cast in aluminum -- was designed by Bertoia with assistance from art students Marc Parson and Will Pergl.
During the renovation project, art classes were held in Sibley Hall and the Foundry.
Most of the money raised to renovate Tjaden Hall is from the estate of pioneering woman architect Olive Tjaden Van Sickle '25, who died last March.
Tjaden Hall, originally named Franklin Hall after Benjamin Franklin, opened in 1883 and housed programs in physical sciences and electrical engineering.
The general contractor for the renovation project is Streeter Associates of Elmira; the architect is Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston; the project architect is Mark Schatz; and the Cornell facilities construction manager is Brian Grinter.
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