Preparations Underway for Our New Academic Building

Temporary sidewalks and construction fencing are being installed around the site of our new academic building. As noted in a message sent to the campus community on February 11, in addition to the temporary sidewalks and construction fencing, K Visitor Lot will no longer be open.

The construction fence will be bordered by (clockwise, see map) Joseloff Gallery, the Fuller Building (Hartt), GSU, Dana Hall, ISET, and Hartford Art School. To provide safe pedestrian access around the area, supplemental lighting and two temporary walkways are being installed; one on the south side between GSU and Dana Hall and one on the north side to replicate the current amphitheater walkway that leads to ISET and Dana. With these changes, campus sidewalk patterns essentially remain the same and should create very little disruption to walking on the academic side of campus.

Inside the fence, much of the construction work in February, March, and April will be digging and relocating utilities. Additional excavation will take place In April and a portion of May, with the concrete foundation poured in the balance of May and in June. In July, steel beams will go in.

Construction trailers will be placed in K Visitor Lot, taking that lot offline for parking during the entire construction period. The temporary loss of K Visitor Lot may have an impact on parking across campus especially when there are events to which visitors are invited. Please be patient as we grow.

Anyone planning an event in the coming months should be sure to complete the Public Safety Special Event Form before promoting the event. After completing the form, the organizer will receive information on where attendees should park and this information can be included in the promotional information.

When the event requires attendees to pre-register, the organizer, when completing the Public Safety Special Event Form, can request and receive a parking permit that can be emailed to and printed by registered attendees. The permit will show the specific parking lot in which attendees should park and include a map. In most cases, event parking will be in F Lot and/or C Lot. Visitors arriving for admission tours who find J Lot full will be directed to A Lot. Again, please be patient if you encounter difficulty finding parking spaces during events.

Individual visitors to campus may continue to park in designated visitor spaces around campus and in any available non-reserved space if they have an individual visitor-parking pass. Faculty and staff can request a parking permit for individual visitors at Public Safety request form for individual visitors.

You will notice that the six trees dedicated to our alumni who died in the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 are inside the fenced-in construction area. University administration and the academic building steering committee are being extremely deliberate and thoughtful about how to ensure that a memorial will remain. The campus community will be updated on this decision.

Thank you for your patience as we build for the future.