Chapel renovations and addition

[historyman]

Got a chance to drive around campus yesterday.

The first three sets of windows starting from the back of the chapel going towards the chancel are completed except for two windows. The last few sets of windows are still covered by plywood as I'm sure they must still be worked on. This is on the side of the chapel facing the Harre Union. I didn't check out the windows on the side facing the outer drive, the Welcome Center construction site and US 30.

Huegli Hall is ready for demolition. There are three pieces of demolition equipment from G.E. Marshall Company that are inside the fence ready to start on the demolition as of Thursday evening. All the windows seem like they were bombed out by explosives. I assumed they removed most of the air conditioning units that were in the windows by simplying whacking them out with a sledge hammer or something. At least that is the way it looks.

Miller Hall, the former Immanuel School, is totally down. There are many stones from the building on the ground but all parts of the building that resemble walls are gone. Good bye forever Miller Hall. You can easily see the trailer which is called the LeBien addition which sat behind Miller Hall.

The construction on the Welcome Center is progressing slowly or so it seems to me. I assume they are working hard on the foundation parts of the building. There will be no basement. Of course this 100 degree heat must make it very difficult work. They have set up a fence that goes to the edge of the outer drive (the entrance drive from US 30) on the east and north sides as the drive curves around the new construction. On the west side of the construction site is the woods including the student bridge which sets in the woods. The east side of the bridge is only about 15 steps from the fence that surrounds the construction site. I assume they will build a path from the student bridge to the Welcome Center back door or west door or maybe a door facing US 30. The southwest corner of the Welcome Center will actually be a few feet north of the east end of the student bridge so if they do build that path it will have to curve a little to the north towards the chapel.

It's a summer of construction at Valpo but not nearly as intrusive to getting around campus as in the past. Except for the chapel renovation which is towards the middle and the Huegli Hall demolition most of the work is towards the edges of campus and hardly noticeable. 

[vuweathernerd]

i was briefly on campus late yesterday afternoon as well. there are still some plywood covers on windows on the south side of the chapel as well - roughly the same sections as what's covered on the north side.

wandered through the a&s building yesterday. i like the stairwell going from the main floor to the bottom floor. but was disappointed by the lack of easily accessible stairs going up to the third floor. it's almost like they want you to use the elevators, or to isolate the faculty. certainly not the vu style if it's the latter. still smells new. but not bad overall.

[valpopal]

Because there were no home games this week, I decided to take my camera to the chapel. It looks terrific, and I thought those who haven't been able to visit campus since the restoration work would be interested in the following pictures:

[valpo64]

Valpopal:  Absolutely GREAT pictures of the Chapel...thanks for the posting

[vu72]

Valpopal:  Absolutely GREAT pictures of the Chapel...thanks for the posting

Such a special place in so many of our lives. Thank you--terrific pictures!

[okinawatyphoon]

Aside from the new nave windows and new heating system, were there any other aesthetic changes to the chapel? New flooring or anything?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

looks like they refinished all the wood surfaces with instagram

[valpopal]

Thanks for the nice comments on the photos. If you haven't seen it before, a detailed description of the work done and the restoration process can be found at the following: http://blogs.valpo.edu/chapel/2012/06/12/hello-world/

[valpopal]

"The preliminary plans will be presented to Valparaiso's Site Review Committee on Tuesday, but Pastor Brian Johnson, executive director of campus ministries, said it hasn't been decided if the groundbreaking will be this fall or next spring."

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/valparaiso/vu-to-discuss-plans-for-chapel-addition/article_cd9e59df-51de-53f6-88dc-711af0a8cc1b.html

[vu72]

It will be very interesting to see how the architects work an addition into the style of the Chapel.  It has to be on the South side and I'm sure most will be underground but who knows!

[VULB#62]

Excited to see the renderings.

[loschwitz]

Plans for what Nagle Hartray calls the "campus ministries building" can be found on their website under 'current projects.'  The addition appears to be a very self-effacing structure; trying not to call attention to itself.   Couldn't help notice that the proposed floor plan includes space for a...........chapel.
Does that make sense?

Nagle Hartray is also working on design and planning for the Shelburne Conference Center, the Opus Dei retreat west of town.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Nagle Hartray is also working on design and planning for the Shelburne Conference Center, the Opus Dei retreat west of town.

awesome!  love that place.

I suppose if they're building a chapel, what does that mean for Gloria Christi?

[vu72]

Plans for what Nagle Hartray calls the "campus ministries building" can be found on their website under 'current projects.'  The addition appears to be a very self-effacing structure; trying not to call attention to itself.   Couldn't help notice that the proposed floor plan includes space for a...........chapel.
Does that make sense?

Nagle Hartray is also working on design and planning for the Shelburne Conference Center, the Opus Dei retreat west of town.

After searching a bit, I found the site with the floor plans.  In the future if you are going to post information it would help if you also posted the site for our reference.

It is a very interesting design.  It appropriately plays down its role in deference to the Chapel itself.  A very challenging endeavor.  I like it very much.  As for the interior small chapel, I think it is very appropriate.  The facility will be filled with people of great faith and the choices at present for prayer are two, big and bigger.  This space simply provides a small space where people can gain quiet time for prayer.  Something of which we all could do more.

http://www.naglehartray.com/portfolio/current-work/valparaiso-university-campus-ministries-building.htm

[LaPorteAveApostle]

In the future if you are going to post information it would help if you also posted the site for our reference.

that was the first post, so s/he couldn't have even if s/he wanted to...

[okinawatyphoon]

Plans for what Nagle Hartray calls the "campus ministries building" can be found on their website under 'current projects.'  The addition appears to be a very self-effacing structure; trying not to call attention to itself.   Couldn't help notice that the proposed floor plan includes space for a...........chapel.
Does that make sense?

Nagle Hartray is also working on design and planning for the Shelburne Conference Center, the Opus Dei retreat west of town.

Thanks for posting this and welcome to the forum! 

[okinawatyphoon]

Has construction begun on the new addition? A new photo to the Valpo Flickr page seems to indicate that, or is it just landscaping?? The photo is titled "Chapel Renovation."

[wh]

Has construction begun on the new addition? A new photo to the Valpo Flickr page seems to indicate that, or is it just landscaping?? The photo is titled "Chapel Renovation."

I drove by there earlier today.  If what the picture depicts has something to do with building renovation, you wouldn't know it by looking at it.  It just looks like they're trying to shore up a short retaining wall.

[agibson]

I've lost track of the schedule, but presumably it's too late to start anything serious this summer.

I'd expect things to get underway in a serious way at the end of the spring semester, 2014.

[talksalot]

they MOVED the sitting walls... several of them... try THAT in 88-degrees/80% humidity days... Lakeshore Landscaping did/is doing a nice job.... THEN they can start the renovation.

[okinawatyphoon]

The addition to the Chapel will begin in the summer of 2014, according to this Torch article:
http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_5a54cc80-3d7d-11e3-aa55-0019bb30f31a.html

[okinawatyphoon]

Groundbreaking for the addition to the Chapel is set for April 26.

[talksalot]

Groundbreaking for the addition to the Chapel is set for April 26.

We assume most of the snow will have melted by then

[okinawatyphoon]

The groundbreaking was held on April 26, so this should be underway once classes are over. This will be a great addition to campus, so I'm excited to see it take shape. 

[historyman]

The ground breaking for the chapel addition happened on April 26 but the real construction crew didn't put the construction equipment to the land south of the chapel until today, Friday. Apparently there was a hold up due to the state of Indiana not agreeing that the chapel should continue with it's historic preservation designation with the building having an addition. They state finally agreed that the chapel could keep it's historic landmark status on Thursday and the actual construction started this morning. When you pass by the chapel you can see that there is finally earth being moved.