Renovations to Founders Hall
Wellesley College
The first classroom building of the Academic Quad, Founders Hall was designed by the Philadelphia firm of Day and Klauder. Built in 1918, Founders Hall originally included 27 classrooms, 2 study halls and 35 offices. Today Founders Hall has 17 classrooms and 102 offices.
Reduction of the teaching load from 5 classes to 4 per faculty member has created an increased demand for larger classrooms. At the same time, many small seminars for under 10 students are scheduled in 30 student classrooms, because of a shortage in seminar rooms. The expansion of academic offices in Founders has created overcrowding and a variety of local problems throughout the building.
To accomplish the renovations with a minimum amount of disruption, a two-summer phasing plan allowed for “testing” of some of the proposed improvements between phases. With new electric service in place and an elevator available for use, building-wide renovations were completed.
The second phase of the renovations of Founders Hall was building-wide. The successful test designs of the first phase were carried out throughout the entire building in the second summer of construction. The renovations brought user friendly educational technologies into the classroom, while restoring the rich historical quality of the building.
Although minor alterations to portions of the building have occurred over the years, most building systems date to original construction, and are the focus of these renovations. These include Heating, Ventilation, and Electrical systems, all in need of building-wide improvements.
