June 23, 2005

By Diane Chiddister

Fewer dorms with greater density. A combined library and student union. Extending North and South College Streets through the Antioch College campus. Affordable housing for seniors and young families in the space currently occupied by Antioch University McGregor.

These are some of the ideas being considered for the renovation of the Antioch campus, according to architect Bob Loversidge of Schooley, Caldwell Associates, a Columbus firm. Loversidge spoke during “Living and Learning by Design,” a presentation on the college’s possible physical changes, which was part of the Antioch Alumni Reunion, on Friday, June 17, at Kelly Hall. About 50 alumni attended the presentation.

“These are just ideas, and no ideas are mutually exclusive,” Loversidge said. “We were asked to think outside the box. What we’re trying to do is to shake things up. It’s a very exciting time for the campus.”

The overall goal of the proposed physical changes to the campus is to create an environment “informed by the new philosophy, where the new academic program can flourish,” Loversidge said. Specifically, he said, the changes will increase density on campus and heighten students’ sense of community.

“We’re a small campus,” Loversidge said. “We want to create the excitement of people getting together.”

The changes to campus are part of the Antioch renewal plan, which was created by the Renewal Commission and was approved by the Antioch University Board of Trustees last summer. The plan suggested that Antioch invest millions of dollars in new and renovated buildings on campus.

Loversidge said the choices on the physical changes will be made by a committee, composed of faculty, staff, students and administrators, and the final decisions will be made by the Antioch Board of Trustees.

The architect said his firm is looking at four areas of possible change, including dormitories, the student union, the library and the overall campus.

Currently, the college has space for 600 beds when it needs only half that many and much dormitory space is not used efficiently, he said. Changes to the dorms will heighten density, community, the opportunity for affinity groups and will be ecologically smart, he said.

Such changes are already underway in Birch Hall, where relatively minor changes will enhance common space and organize activities in a central area, Loversidge said. A new kitchen area is being added to the dorm’s common space to allow students to cook together. An overall cleanup of the dorm and new painting will also take place.

Two other dorms, Mills and Spalt, will also be “renovated in a similar fashion in the future,” said Loversidge.

Earlier this month, Antioch razed another dorm, Presidents.

Schooley, Caldwell Associates first performed a suitability analysis on the college’s dorms to determine their physical condition and ability to adapt for new purposes. Historical significance was also considered.

Loversidge said renovations are also taking place at the Science Building, which is being adapted to hold this fall the college’s first three learning communities, which is part of the overhaul of Antioch’s curriculum under the renewal plan. Each learning community will have a large classroom and several smaller ones for its activities. Creating new space for the learning communities was called for in the renewal plan.

The Science Building is “a fine building, sturdy and with great spaces,” Loversidge said. “Incoming students will see a fresher, livelier space.”

Students and parents often identify the student union as one of the most important spaces on campus, Loversidge said, a place that focus groups have described as ideally “a social center, a place to have fun, to remember.”

However, the architect said, the Antioch student union has many shortcomings, including poor physical condition both inside and out, poor accessibility between floors, and a food service area designed to feed 800 to 1,000 students, when actually about 300 students are being served. The space also lacks areas for wellness and fitness activities, which students want, he said.

The college is considering three alternative approaches to improving the student union, including moderate rehabbing of the existing building; gutting and conducting major renovations to the building; or constructing a new student union on a new site. Estimated costs range from $3.4 million to fix up the current building to as high as $10 million for constructing a new space.

The Antioch library also poses significant challenges, due to what Loversidge called its “very poor” physical condition and “severe structural problems.” The building’s interior space tends to be dark and uninviting, and accessibility to both books and technology could be improved, he said.

Schooley, Caldwell Associates has identified for the library the same three options as for the student union, including moderate renovation of existing facilities, with costs ranging from $3.4 million to $4.3 million; major renovations of the facilities, with costs from $4.3 million to $5.16 million; and new construction, costing $6 to $10 million.

Loversidge said he has suggested that Antioch combine the student union and library into one space, either with new construction or by renovating one of the existing buildings. Such a change would increase the building’s density and would also save money by combining two mechanical systems into one.

“It has real potential,” he said. “It would be the campus center, a place that people leave here remembering.”

Density would also be increased if North and South College Streets were extended through campus, Loversidge said. The streets were closed to traffic on campus in the 1970s.

Opening up the streets to traffic would also enhance the college’s appeal to first-time visitors, Loversidge said, since visitors could approach the campus from Corry Street and view the Glen on one side and the college’s large lawn and Main Building on the other, the same view people saw when the college opened in the 1800s.

“It would be a positive first impression,” he said.

Another way to increase density on campus would be to turn the Fels Building, currently used by Antioch McGregor, into affordable housing, either for active senior citizens or young families, or both, Loversidge said. McGregor will vacate the facility in 2007, when its new campus will be completed in the Center for Business and Education on the western edge of town. Offering housing would also add income for the college, he said.

In response to the proposals, several alumni expressed enthusiasm for the plan for affordable housing and the creation of more dense student spaces. However, some expressed concerns over student safety if streets are opened up on campus, and others stated their concern that increasing density in buildings would mean decreasing the college’s current outdoor common spaces, which they perceived as a valuable part of campus life. One man encouraged the college to use any new building as an educational tool on sustainable building.