Monday, June 10, 2013

What's Happening on Campus this Summer

This summer, Whitman is undergoing two major construction projects.  


Our tennis courts are being torn out and two more courts are being added, bringing the total number of outdoor courts to six.  Having six courts at one location is the minimum requirement for hosting a National level tournament.  Although there has been some controversy over the fact that three trees had to be removed for the project, the end result will be an awesome facility for two of Whitman's most decorated and competitive teams.  You can read more about the new courts and see a rendering of what the new facility will look like at Jeff Northam's (Whitman Men's Tennis Coach) blog.
The courts, looking towards the library

The courts, looking towards Maxey Hall


The other major summer project is the remodel of the Memorial Building.  Though Memorial ("Mem") is not home to many academic courses, Mem is home to Whitman's offices of Development, Business, Residence Life, Off-campus Study, and many more.  Mem is where our esteemed volunteer assistant coach, Jamie Kennedy, has his office.

Mem was originally built in 1899 with a $50,000 gift.  The Memorial Building was named to honor Dr. Marcus and Narcissa Prentiss Whitman.  The building underwent a significant seismic upgrade to its foundation and the clock tower in the summer of 2010, but this is the first time--at least as far as Jamie knows--that the entire inside of the building has been remodeled.  The main entryways are first on the docket and then the remodel process will continue to move office to office until the whole building has been completely overhauled.  The project is scheduled to conclude in early September. 

The second floor foyer in Mem