According to a comprehensive plan, designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the eventual renovation will include almost all of the academic quadrangle with the initial focus on Main Hall, Russell Hall/Milbank Library, Horace Mann Hall and Grace Dodge Hall.

It also anticipates the development of a student residence hall and conference center complex.

A Newly Configured Main Entrance

The focal point of the exterior renovation is a newly configured front entrance at 525 West 120th Street with the Teachers College name mounted in bronze-colored letters clearly visible to all who enter. To amplify the entrance, two wrought iron light fixtures flank the entry stairs. Atop the stairs the existing gridded oak doors have been glazed to make them transparent with evening activity inside apparent from the street.

To provide easy access for the disabled, a new ramp has been constructed with a low brick wall and brownstone cap to match the existing Victorian details. The sidewalk is being extended into the street in front of the main steps with similar paving to establish a clear zone from which to alight from an automobile and a generous area for people to assemble in front of Main Hall.

The Main Hall Renovations

Once inside Main Hall, a welcoming reception area is located at the vestibule level to provide a directory, tactile maps for the visually impaired and an information/security desk staffed 24 hours a day. A second ramp ascends to the principal Main Hall corridor where all the interior spaces are being refurbished. In addition, the plan calls for fourth floor improvements to conference, seminar and meeting rooms.

Student Lounge Renovations

The Student Lounge in Main Hall, which has been renamed the Everett Lounge, in honor of Edith and Henry Everett, has been extensively renovated to create a comfortable and inviting gathering place for students and faculty. A new wood floor has been installed and the long double-hung windows have been repaired. Informal furniture is grouped around a huge fireplace, study tables are situated by the windows and 16 computer workstations that are linked to the campus data network. The lounge is designed as a pleasant setting for studying before and after classes, meeting with student colleagues and faculty, and receiving and sending e-mail.

The Horace Mann Renovations

Renovation of Horace Mann is to include restoration of the historic Horace Mann Auditorium and the Broadway entrance plus a consolidation of student services. The second floor is to be converted to a high-tech computer center, the Goodman Room, that houses smart classrooms equipped with the latest technology and plug-ins for laptops at every seat. Upper floors are to serve primarily as faculty offices. Atop Horace Mann, the roof has been replaced and the cupola restored with new copperwork.

Milbank Library/Russell Hall and Chapel Renovations

Milbank Library/Russell Hall is to be renovated to meet 21st century standards, including the addition of compact stacks, reader workstations, new circulation and references areas, and upgraded administrative and support spaces. The Milbank Chapel also is to be renovated to make it universally accessible, equipped with a state of the art audio-visual system and restored to its former glory.

Grace Dodge Hall Renovations

Grace Dodge Hall, one of the most visible and heavily traveled areas, is to be renovated with modern lighting, air conditioning and heating, new furnishings and durable finishes to the wood floors.

The Student Residence Hall & Conference Center Project

Based on demand projections well into the next century, plans have been developed to build a twin-towers student residence hall and conference center to provide close to 200 student housing units. Over a 30-year outlook, occupancy levels for such a project range from 85 to 90 percent.

The site under consideration is a Teachers College property fronting on 121st and 122nd Streets between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway.

Renovation Projects

Structurally, the exterior masonry is being repointed, all exterior windows and roofs are to be replaced, and major utilities are to be gradually replaced. The interior spaces are to be brightened considerably with new and modern lighting, refinished flooring and woodwork, and display technologies.

Building on Strengths

"The basis of the comprehensive plan," according to the architect, "is to build on the strengths of the remarkable Victorian buildings and streetscape that make up the campus." What is addressed by the plan is to remedy deferred maintenance, replace an outdated utility infrastructure, develop connections between buildings, provide access for the disabled, accommodate the interior organization of departments and improve the conditions of classrooms and public spaces.

Groundbreaking Gifts for Building Projects

With renovation costs projected at $29.45 million for rebuilding facilities and $5.45 million for student life amenities, a number of signal gifts to underwrite the construction projects have established the momentum to meet the Campaign goals.

Prominent among the gifts are:

• A $6.5 million gift from The Gottesman Fund with $5.88 million to underwrite renovation of the Milbank Memorial Library building and $620,000 allocated to the Teachers College Fund. Once renovated, Russell Hall is to be named Gottesman Hall. Dr. Ruth Gottesman is an alumna and a member of the Board of Trustees.
• A $3 million gift from The Klingenstein Fund earmarked for improvement to the physical plant including the Horace Mann Auditorium. John Klingenstein, president of the Fund, is vice chairman of the Board of Trustees.
• A $3 million gift toward construction of the student residence hall and conference center from Joyce B. Cowin, a Teachers College trustee and graduate of the master's program in Curriculum and Teaching, and her mother, Mrs. Sylvia Berger.
• A $1 million gift from Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Gold to establish an expanded child-care facility to be named The Rita Gold Child Care Center at Teachers College.
• A $1,000,000 gift from John Irwin, a Teachers College trustee and his wife Jeanet, for the renovation of Milbank Chapel.
• A $1,000,000 gift from Elihu Rose, a member of the President's Advisory Council and former trustee of the College, towards the renovation of Main Hall.
• A $400,000 grant from the Cleveland Dodge Foundation to underwrite renovations to Grace Dodge Hall.
• A $250,000 gift from Edith and Henry Everett to renovate the Student Lounge in Main Hall.
• A $250,000 gift from Barbara and Roy Goodman for the creation of the Goodman Family Computer Classroom, a high-tech computer center in Horace Mann Hall, and the TC Fund.