The VAC will open in time for Fall term classes, with a dedication ceremony planned for Sept. 14, according to film and media studies department chair Amy Lawrence. Because they will be housed together in the VAC, the new facility will enable the film and media studies and studio art departments to interact more closely, Lawrence said.
"It will be the first time in over 20 years that every aspect of our departments will be in the same building," Lawrence said. "This will be space designed for us. All of our faculty will be in the same building, and all of our classes will be in the same building."
The completion of the VAC also reaffirms the College's ongoing commitment to the arts and has inspired excitement among the departments' faculty members, she said.
The Hanover Inn has been under construction since December 2011, making efforts to modernize its accommodations and public spaces. While the Inn opened to customers in June and was fully booked for Commencement, other renovations remained ongoing, including those in the Inn's conference rooms, Mellia said.
Of these conference rooms, the almost 2,000-square-foot Hayward Room features floor-to-ceiling views of the Green, according to Mellia.
"We are also opening the Daniel Webster and lower level pre-function space, which include four fully functioning, executive conference rooms built in part to support Dartmouth academic activities and meetings, as well as social gatherings," he said.
The project was originally expected to cost $21.5 million. The College announced in February that the total cost of construction had risen to $41 million.
The final details of the budget are still being determined as the Inn makes changes to the renovations, according to Mellia. While no additions have been made to renovation plans, alterations include a different design for the renovated main restaurant, which will be completed in the first quarter of 2013, Mellia said.
Mellia said he feels the Inn is one of the preeminent buildings on Dartmouth's campus and that improvements were needed to raise the Inn to the College's standards.
"The Inn is the public face of Dartmouth, and it is the first thing so many visitors see when they come to Hanover." Mellia said. "It required major renovation to correct serious building deficiencies and reflect a level of excellence Dartmouth expects."
Updates to the Inn's professional facilities will also enable the College to attract important national and international academic, research and policy conferences and improve Dartmouth's standard academically, according to Mellia.
Students on campus who are curious about the renovations can attend walking tours of the Inn, which are available to the Dartmouth and Hanover communities, Mellia said. Tours will be held every Wednesday afternoon from Sept. 526.
A Phi's first physical plant, located at 2 North Park Street, is also nearing the end of its construction period. Since construction of the house's exterior neared completion during the Summer term, workers have worked to ready its interior for Fall term occupation.
With the completion of the new house, Kappa Delta sorority remains the only Panhellenic sorority without a physical plant.
Al Phi president Lexi Campbell '13 said that having a physical plant will be a great opportunity for members of the sorority.
"The sisterhood is so excited to have a space to call their own," Campbell said. "We are all looking forward to building wonderful memories in our new house."
