By Tom Interval
Staff Writer
Construction of the Academic Design Building will start soon, according to Monsignor William A. Kerr, president of La Roche College.
Although the exact start date has not been determined, construction may begin as early as the spring of 1996, perhaps even sooner.
“We’re getting close to turning up the ground,” said Kerr.
Construction of the $7.2 million building, which will house the college’s departments of graphic design, graphic arts, interior design and communication, was delayed because the necessary funds were unavailable, according to Roger Carothers, La Roche’s vice president for business affairs.
“The start date depends on when the college is able to obtain the cash funding,” Carothers said during an interview in August, when the college still needed about $5.5 million for the project.
Apparently, La Roche has obtained the rest of the money it needs, but Kerr said he could not yet reveal the source of that funding.
People who have already made donations include La Roche alumni, employees of the college, Board of Trustees members, Board of Reagents members and independent donors.
Carothers said that once construction gets underway, the two-story building, for which the college broke ground on March 17, will take about 12 or 13 months to complete.
The 46,000-square-foot Academic Design Building will be located on the east campus, in the parking lot area adjacent to the Science Center.
The building will house a painting and drawing studio, a gallery, an interior design library and resource center, 10 design studios, three computer labs, critique areas, general-purpose classrooms, faculty offices, a TV studio and audio-visual lab and several laboratory-type workspaces.
“[The Academic Design Building] is going to be a wonderful advancement for the college,” said Kerr, “and we’re very anxious to get started on the project.”
