Construction has begun on the west side of Baker Library for the $60 million Berry Library Project, and the first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in March.
Construction workers have built small temporary test walls next to the Reserve Corridor entrance to match the brick and mortar used in the Baker and Carpenter Libraries.
Starting today, workers will be cutting small test holes in the exterior wall and floor of Baker's 1941 Annex on the north side of the library. This is necessary in order to examine the actual materials used in the construction of the Annex, so they can later be matched to the materials of Berry.
"Right now we are just trying to nail down where all the walls will be," said Berry Library Building Committee Chair John Crane. "It is a matter of increasing level of detail."
These small steps of construction will culminate in early March when a construction fence will go up behind Baker, signaling the first major phase of production.
The first project, scheduled to be completed in August, is to relocate the utility lines under Elm St. to a new utility tunnel along the north foundation wall of the Annex. Parking will be prohibited behind Baker at this point.
The Berry Library construction is divided into two phases. Phase one, which is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2000, includes the connection of Berry to Baker's 1941 Annex and the relocation of some parts of Computing Services to Berry's lowest levels.
Phase two is the construction of the academic wing on the west end of Berry, which will contain classroom space and offices for the history department. During this phase, which is expected to be completed in December of 2001, interior spaces in Baker will also be renovated.
The academic wing will have five levels and is expected to house a pedestrian arcade, classrooms and a 24-hour cafe and study area, as well as student study space on all levels. Levels one through four will include standard library features such as a Circulation Desk, offices and a Map Room.
A new set of more detailed designs of the Berry Library Project is expected to be released in April, Crane said.
