From the outside, the pristine marble and brick Gilman Hall has always looked like the proverbial academic paradise. But up until this fall, the exterior of the edifice concealed a virtual maze, as veteran professors, faculty, administration and students well know — and the newer additions to Johns Hopkins' community will soon discover — the interior was a perplexing maze.
Many recall the various dead-ends in the building's former layout. The original structure of the building was shaped like a letter U. The main hallways wrapped around only three sides of the building, leaving many classrooms as well as professors' offices inaccesible.
In order to reach the far-flung rooms, students had to navigate the half-baked hallways and Gilman's 8 staircases. Not a single staircase spanned every floor and the majority only led to one or two. The situation was Hogwarts sans convenient magic. Those wishing to avoid the staircases couldn't even trust the elevator, which only went up a few floors. The elevator also presented the only option for handicapped students — initially Gilman was equipped with no handicap-accessible ramps. “There were different building codes back then,” project manager Travers Nelson explained, “there weren't so many requirements. You had to go up one flight of stairs, cross a hallway, go down another flight to get where you wanted to go.”
When asked about Gilman's previous state one senior in the IAC drily commented “it was a confusing place. Some stairs didn't even go anywhere. I'm sure we lost some good students along the way.”
Now, after two full years of renovation, Gilman Hall's eight mindboggling, Escher-esque staircases have been reduced to three manegable ones, each complete with an emergency exit. The number of elevators has increased. But perhaps most importantly, Gilman Hall now has handicapped ramps leading up to the front of the building. Mr. Nelson considers this new accessibility one of the renovation's crowning achievements.
“I was impressed by everyone's willingness . . . it was a significant investment,” he said of the new marble installations that are a near perfect match to the original marble. The marble ramps in Memorial Hall also closely match the checkered pattern of the original floor.
This adherence to detail was made possible by the efforts of all those involved in the renovation project and the ample budget. The total budget came out to $127 million — $73 million for the project budget and $54 million for construction.
Although Mr. Nelson insisted “not all the dust has settled,” it seems that the renovation didn't overreach their budget. In fact, there were leftover funds that went to previously unplanned improvements. These extra funds allowed for improvements to Gilman's exterior and graduated roof. Unfortunately, the roof maintenance was still going on in February, when Baltimore received an uprecedented three feet of snow. This inconvient timing led to one of the most difficult challenges the renovation faced.
Not only did the snow reduce the number of work days, it fell through the gaps in the torn-up roof, damaging some work that had already been done to Gilman's interior. Due to these setbacks, some adjustments are still being made to Gilman over the first week or so of term — there are a few AV issues and a clock is missing from the Hutzler Reading Room.
However, the most challenging issue of the renovation has already been resolved: moving the Humanities Department back in.
During the renovation all the professors had to vacate Gilman in what Mr. Nelson called the “emptying out process.” The professors had to set up temporary offices in Dell House, located on 29th and Charles, a good eight or ten minute walk from campus. According to Professor Richard Bett of the philosophy department, it was “difficult to get in touch with colleagues. No classes were taught there except for graduate courses. There was a rule about that.”
Now, Bett is thrilled with his new office space. The Philosophy Department offices have been moved from the 3rd floor to the second, right next to the doors.“
We really lucked out . . . I definitely think it was worth it. Two years isn't a life time.”
Nelson was grateful to everyone who had to move. “Kudos to the dean, his staff, and the faculty,” he said.
The offices now have better lighting, improved access to outlets, fresh carpeting and air conditioning.
The new offices, located in the internal corridor, have these same features. These new office units are an example of the renovation team's utilization of “found space”.
Mr. Nelson's team converted the floors and floors of myriad cast iron 7.5 inch bookstacks into office space.
Still, the most impressive “found space” is the new mechanics room. In fact, it's more like “created space”.
In order to have enough room for all the Humanities professors, the renovators had to get creative when it came to the new mechanical room. Finding that there was no free area, the renovators began to dig out a room beneath the basement, sort of a sub-basement. It's one of the more innovated new features in Gilman, although not everyone will get to see it.
Luckily, there's an entirely new and unavoidable area. The Atrium was a completely new addition to Gilman Hall.
Before the renovation, that space was only occupied by a narrow hallway connecting the Main hall to the Hut. On either side was a straight drop down to the bottom level where the bookstore, post office, and bank were located (which have since been removed).
Now, the Atrium boasts a well-lit, spacious study area that houses two masterpieces of art and engineering: the sculptures and the skylight. Kendall Buster, an acclaimed sculptor who studied microbiology in college, created the nine-piece sculpture “Vessel Field” now hanging from the ceiling of the Atrium. The white shapes evoke the images of the artificants located beneath the Atrium level in the Classics Department's archaeology display.
To many who don't know about its structure, the skylight pales in comparison to the sculptures. However, the skylight is a remarkable feat of physics: although it stretches over 60 feet in length, the glass is only 10 inches deep. The curvature of the skylight, which was modeled after the shape of an airplane's wing, is made possible through a series of cables and wires. The compression lends the structure flexibility, allowing it to bend, curve, and fill the Atrium with light.
It's impossible to escape the enthusiastic buzz about Gilman's renovation when studying in the Hut. Seniors often come in and stand in the doorway just to point out the new features — the vibrant green hue on the walls, an updated version of the original pigment that restorers found through paint seriation — and the restored ones, particularly the impeccable stained glass windows. Mr. Nelson is also thrilled with Gilman's new (and old) look.
Still, he doesn't feel as though the work is truly finished. “There's never that crystalline moment of completion,” he said, admiring the new terazzo floors, which he considers “ideal for an academic institution.”
