The College will begin its $2.4 million renovation of Robinson Hall on August 6 and anticipates the project will be completed by August 1, 1996, according to Assistant Director of Facilities Planning Jack Wilson.
The renovations, primarily planned to make the building handicapped accessible, will be divided into two phases.
Demolition and construction is scheduled to be completed by March 6, when reconstruction at the front of the first, second, and third floors of the building will begin.
The Dartmouth Outing Club and the Forensics Union will be housed in Sherman House, across from the former Mary Hitchcock Hospital, until the second phase of the renovations are complete. The business office of the DOC will remain in Robinson Hall until July 18 and will reopen in Sherman House on July 25.
The Dartmouth and Dartmouth Broadcasting will remain in Robinson for the duration of the renovation, but will be moved throughout the building to accommodate the different phases of renovation.
"It's an exciting project for me to be working on," Wilson said. "It's a great building with a lot of character -- it's also unique in that it is totally dedicated to student organizations."
He addedthe last set of renovations made to Robinson were in the 1960s, and were "very poorly constructed."
Renovations during phase one will involve the basement and the first, second and third floors of the west wing of Robinson Hall. The west wing faces Thayer Dining Hall.
There are three main objectives in the renovations of the building, according to Wilson.
The primary objective is to make the building handicapped accessible as outlined in the Americans With Disabilities Act. This includes making the building wheelchair accessible, specifically changing the bathrooms, Wilson said.
The second objective is to make the building safer in terms of life safety codes. A fully enclosed fire exit will be built on the west side of the building and a new sprinkler system will be implemented, Wilson said.
All building systems, including heating, electric, telephone and computing will be replaced in compliance with the third objective of the renovations.
A third floor will be constructed to add square footage to the building. Wilson said this will be possible due to the high ceilings on the second floor which were once part of dance hall space.
While the total final costs of the project are estimated at $2.4 million dollars, the actual construction costs are estimated at $1.95 million. The remaining $450,000 will cover projects and design costs, Wilson said.
Initially, the College considered renovating Robinson in conjunction with the Collis Center, but was unable to do so due to budget constraints, Wilson said.
Wilson said he met with students from The Dartmouth, and Dartmouth Broadcasting to discuss the plans.