Tangible Transformations
Building projects with an $80 million price tag, including two that were near completion this summer, are transforming the campus map. The University Tennis Center houses six indoor courts, and Gari Melchers’ Studio at the 27-acre Belmont estate has tripled in size. Designed to be environmentally sensitive and compatible with its setting, the Belmont expansion includes an event room and a climate- and light-controlled storage room for the collection of paintings.
Immediately after Commencement this May, Dodd Auditorium in George Washington Hall began undergoing a transformation. The goal was to renovate the interior prior to the Freshman Honor Convocation in August. Aesthetic improvements include refurbished seats from The Kennedy Center and new draperies, carpeting and light fixtures. With vibrant colors and accents in gold leaf, the finished product should dazzle audiences and provide them with much more comfortable seating.
New Hall, built in 1994 and home to about 150 students, was officially and ceremonially named Arrington Hall in April in tribute to Arabelle Laws Arrington ’41. Having served two terms on the University’s Board of Visitors, three terms on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, and as president of the UMW Foundation, Mrs. Arrington was honored for her extraordinary philanthropy and unsurpassed devotion to the University of Mary Washington.
Another transition was achieved this year with plans for a 400-car parking deck near Goolrick Hall. In a departure from the traditional design-bid-construct process, the project represents the first use of recently developed design-build procedures that condense design and construction time in order to deliver capital construction projects more quickly and with greater budget control. The parking garage is scheduled for completion next spring.
The University awarded its first performance contract to help conserve energy. The contract involves installation of new lighting fixtures, replacement of old toilets with new water-conserving fixtures, repairing portions of the central steam system, and upgrading heating and ventilation controls throughout most of the buildings on the Fredericksburg campus.
Many of the familiar, visible indications of Mary Washington College remain and serve as reminders of the institution’s heritage, such as the bronze plaques adorning the brick columns at the main gates and the seal on the rotunda floor in Trinkle Hall. However, in printed material and on other signs, the new name and logo have assumed prominence. Flags, highway markers, and even University vehicles now proudly display the new graphic identity, which includes the University name adjacent to stylized columns.