Grove City College will soon begin construction on the Carnegie Alumni Center on lower campus. Set on Broad Street and a vital part of the downtown area, Carnegie will keep its overall personality of Early 20th Century architecture while upgrading to include better welcoming reception space, more offices and a space to showcase the history of the College. Construction will begin during the first quarter of 2008.

The proposed project consists of a 6,200-square-foot addition and renovation to the existing 12,600-square-foot building. The addition will serve as a main entry point to the facility and meet all accessibility requirements, feature an elevator and additional stairway, and provide adequate restroom facilities for staff and event needs. The project is the last, and therefore the capstone, to the College’s $68 million Change & Commitment Capital Campaign.

“The Carnegie Alumni Center retrofit will be a wonderful addition for our alumni across the country,” said College President Richard G. Jewell ’67. “This brings real life back to the heart of where our campus began and where many of our alumni lived during their time at Grove City College. With the construction on lower campus of the new Colonial Hall Apartments, the upgrade to the football facilities and this significant project, the College will have invested more than $20 million in its lower campus. This advances the needs of the College and complements the revitalization efforts underway downtown.”
 
The building currently consists of three floors, with office and storage space on the ground and main levels, and an unused third floor that once housed a music and performance auditorium. After the renovations, the ground level will be home to the College Communications Office, a staging kitchen, archival storage area, conference room and mechanical equipment. The main level will feature a multi-purpose reception area and dining space for 120 people with access to an outdoor terrace. A casual seating area with a fireplace will accommodate smaller groups. The third level will house the remainder of the Institutional Advancement Office – Alumni Relations and Development – in a combination of enclosed offices and partitioned work stations.

“The Alumni Association is looking forward to how this alumni center will impact the Grove City College family,” said Alumni Association President Laura Havrilla ’87. “Thousands of alumni visit their alma mater every year and Carnegie will now be the place where they gather and reminisce.”

Construction on the project will cost $5.13 million and an additional $1.43 million will be spent on related project expenses, such as architectural and engineering fees; furniture, fixtures and equipment; and other contingencies. The total cost for the project will be approximately $6.5 million, all donated funds.

The College will work in tandem on the project with IKM, a leading architecture firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, who helped design the Colonial Hall Apartments. The company has worked extensively for colleges and universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, Lock Haven, Penn State, Robert Morris, Slippery Rock and West Virginia universities.

IKM is led by John C. Schrott III, president, and offers professional services in architectural design, interior design, programming, historic renovation, master planning and project management. Mike Marcu is the IKM chairman emeritus.

Built in 1900, the Carnegie Alumni Center, once called Carnegie Hall, is named after Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), a Scottish-born businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. Part of Carnegie’s philosophy was that great men had an obligation to give back to their communities. Therefore the avid reader supported higher education and built more than 2,500 free libraries – with a number in the Allegheny County region. Two of those were Carnegie Hall at Grove City College and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Carnegie commissioned the college library in 1900 after a request from the Board of Trustees. He donated $30,000 with the goal that the library be enjoyed by the College as well as the Borough of Grove City. Carnegie Hall was a free library and performance venue for the College and the community until the spring of 1954 when the Henry Buhl Library was dedicated on upper campus.

Carnegie Hall has seen many uses through the decades. Its third-floor auditorium – acoustically designed in the manner of vaudeville theaters – featured college student recitals in voice, organ and other instruments. Additionally, the lower level was used as a gymnasium throughout the first half of 20th century and basketball was played where offices now stand. Carnegie Hall also housed ROTC facilities until 1989.

Early this winter, current staff will be relocated for about one year. Proposed completion is in early 2009.

Photos of the current Carnegie Alumni Center, as well as schematic drawings of the new design, are available via e-mail.