# Civic Matters > Suburban & Other OK Communities > Norman >  Gould Hall renovation - OU main campus

## FromTtown

Here are a couple of pictures of Gould Hall's current state of renovation.  





I took these recently from the asp ave parking structure.  I was a former OU architecture student, and am certainly glad to see it given due process.  That building is stripped bare, but its structure seems to be in a suprisingly well state.  I wonder how close to their original plans they are.

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## Guy Noir

> Here are a couple of pictures of Gould Hall's current state of renovation.


I can't see the links or images...maybe this will help

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.7a090a00ac.jpg

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.29d894ef7c.jpg

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## Pete

Thanks so much for the update!

I had seen all the renderings but didn't realize they were under construction.

Will be a huge improvement to the South Oval.

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## Martin

oh man... i'm so happy to see this!

gould hall was definitely the least attractive building on campus, imo.  -M

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## Pete

Looking at those photos, it makes you wonder why they didn't just demolish the whole place and start from scratch, as they are keeping only a shell of two of the wings.

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## Martin

from what i understand, the college of architecture hopes to use the building itself as a teaching tool... in that vein, i think the college is probably making a statement about sustainability in choosing to integrate existing structures into the new design.

-M

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## Nuclear_2525

or they claim they just didn't have enough money to do it all...32 million if I remember right

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## JIMBO

By the end of next week, there should be about 80 ft of basement wall poured.

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## soonerliberal

I believe the reason for keeping some of the walls was so that they could consider it a "renovation" rather than demolition and reconstruction for tax purposes.

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## Martin

tax purposes?  as a public institution wouldn't they be pretty much exempt? -M

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## FromTtown

Personally, I would have bulldozed it and started from the ground up if I were in charge, but alas, I am not in charge. I have taken a whole bunch of pictures over time, and there are more that someone else has put online here:  

Division of Architecture at The University of Oklahoma

Renderings and plans can be seen here:

Division of Architecture at The University of Oklahoma

Most of the info I'm seeing says that it's $27 million, but it may very well be up to $32  mil by now.  I don't know about about tax purposes, but I do remember something about the learning tool element of it.  The details escape me now but I believe that they have abandoned that idea.  Anyway, as I said earlier just by looking at it you can tell the skeleton of the building is actually in pretty good shape.  Perhaps they knew that and that was their reason for keeping the shell among other things.  It is mostly steel framing with some concrete hybrid beams in certain areas (My time as a student led me to believe it was a concrete frame).  That building is absolutely bare at this point.  It appears they will be getting rid of all existing glazing, but they seem to be preserving the brick bands below the windows.  I don't know what will become of these.  And indeed it appears they are very close to ready to pour the foundation walls for the new front wing.  The footings and piers are in place, and elevator pits are visible on both sides of the excavation.  It is pretty neat to see that building in its present nude state, and I am glad that it is getting its much needed update.

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## Andrew4OU

The new wing of Gaylord is just about 99% completed.  I think all that's left is furniture and a few fixings.

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## bluedogok

> I believe the reason for keeping some of the walls was so that they could consider it a "renovation" rather than demolition and reconstruction for tax purposes.





> tax purposes?  as a public institution wouldn't they be pretty much exempt? -M


It has to do with how the money is allocated by whatever gov't entity, there are new building funds and "renovation" funds. Evidently the Gould Hall funding came out of a "renovation" budget.

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## Martin

^
i'll buy that. thanks for the clarification. -M

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## Pete

Has the new swim complex (by Huston Huffman) started construction yet?

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## Superhyper

> Has the new swim complex (by Huston Huffman) started construction yet?


No, I do believe it's currently on hold because of budget issues.

OUDaily.com | Pres. Boren says university has policies in place to cut costs during recession

"The move has delayed several construction projects that have been underway for years, including the new aquatics complex and a new building for the School of Social Work. Boren said it could be another year or two before construction starts, even though the projects have been approved by the OU Board of Regents and private fundraising has begun."

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## BG918

> No, I do believe it's currently on hold because of budget issues.
> 
> OUDaily.com | Pres. Boren says university has policies in place to cut costs during recession
> 
> "The move has delayed several construction projects that have been underway for years, including the new aquatics complex and a new building for the School of Social Work. Boren said it could be another year or two before construction starts, even though the projects have been approved by the OU Board of Regents and private fundraising has begun."


The School of Social Work just received a $5 million donation from the Zarrow family of Tulsa for their new building and various programs, so I imagine we'll see that project progressing.  It will be located where the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center is now, which is moving to a new location south of the dorms.  They will be tearing down the existing Jim Thorpe building and Rhyne Hall once the new Social Work building is finished. 

In addition to Gould Hall you have Collings Hall undergoing renovation/expansion and the two new engineering buildings finishing this summer.  The expansion of the art museum is also supposed to begin this summer.

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## Nuclear_2525

BG, any renderings of the new art museum expansion?

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## BG918

> BG, any renderings of the new art museum expansion?


This is all I could find showing the new second floor addition with rooftop sculpture garden (Weitzenhoffer wing to the left, Jones Hall/School of Art to the right):

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## BrockLanders

> No, I do believe it's currently on hold because of budget issues.
> 
> OUDaily.com | Pres. Boren says university has policies in place to cut costs during recession
> 
> "The move has delayed several construction projects that have been underway for years, including the new aquatics complex and a new building for the School of Social Work. Boren said it could be another year or two before construction starts, even though the projects have been approved by the OU Board of Regents and private fundraising has begun."


I thought the aquatics complex was pretty much all funded by a private donor? That's what we were told by those trying to get it approved. 

 :Doh:

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## okyeah

Here's the school of social work from OUdaily

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## Pete

BTW, that new school of social work is going on the site of a long-standing building on the SW corner of Elm & Brooks.

I know it's been neglected for a while, but I still hate to see it go:

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## BG918

> BTW, that new school of social work is going on the site of a long-standing building on the SW corner of Elm & Brooks.
> 
> I know it's been neglected for a while, but I still hate to see it go:


How did you get that bird's eye image?  I use maps.live.com but you can't save or print bird's eye views.

Will this new building front Elm with parking entirely on the west side or take up the footprint of the existing building?

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## okyeah

> The School of Social Work just received a $5 million donation from the Zarrow family of Tulsa for their new building and various programs, so I imagine we'll see that project progressing.  It will be located where the Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center is now, which is moving to a new location south of the dorms.  They will be tearing down the existing Jim Thorpe building and Rhyne Hall once the new Social Work building is finished. 
> 
> In addition to Gould Hall you have Collings Hall undergoing renovation/expansion and the two new engineering buildings finishing this summer.  The expansion of the art museum is also supposed to begin this summer.


why are they demolishing Rhyne Hall?

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## FromTtown

Just a follow up to show them readying for construction...  



You can see the aforementioned foundation forms in place, and studwork beginning on the first floor.  The far south wing is now almost completely gutted inside out, meaning that demolition is almost complete.   It is fascinating to watch as a new shell emerges.

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## Pete

Not sure why they are demolishing Rhyne Hall...

So, that's two historical buildings they'll be razing:



Here's a closeup of the Thorpe building; I'm sure it was a fraternity or sorority house back in the day:

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## Dekoung

It was the Deke frat house in the early 60's.  The Tri Delts were there before the Dekes.

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## Martin

oh wow... i officed in the thorpe building back in the day. middle dormer on the third floor... that was me. the building was in pretty bad shape... floors/stairway way out of skew. i wouldn't be surprised if there were some serious structural issues. -M

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## FromTtown

Here is a quick update, notice the partition framing in the administration wing.  



And scaffolding on the South side of the North wing



Also here is a quick update of Collings Hall addition.  This is steel framing on the Northwest side of the building



From Ttown

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## BG918

Rendering of Collings Hall (directly across the Oval from Gould)


Floor plan

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## Pete

Thanks for the updates!  Much needed changes that will make a big difference on the South Oval.

This is a great video of the new addition to Gaylord Hall which is close to opening:

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## Pete

Also, if you follow the link below you'll see a live webcam of construction on the new engineering building, Devon Hall.

Looks like it's now all buttoned up on the outside and I bet they are pushing to get classes going there next school year:

Devon Energy Hall Webcam

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## JIMBO

I've heard there is a webcam trained on gould hall. Does anyone know the web address?

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## Guy Noir

deleted

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## FromTtown

Here's a recent shot of Gould showing a lot of progress.  Construction appears to be fully underway now.  There is also new steel going up on the north wing as of earlier this week.  



Note that the existing brick bands were the last item to be demolished.  They are quickly filling them in with new frame work.  Here is a close up of the south wing of the building.



FromTtown

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## BG918

^ You can see in the first photo how the archway between the north and south wings will line up with the fountain in the South Oval.  The eventual plan during the landscaping phase is to build a sidewalk on the courtyard side that curves slightly to the north, crosses Asp, and connects to the main entrance to the stadium parking garage.  Thus you have a direct link from the garage to the South Oval through the Gould Hall archway.  The archway will provide covered access to the gallery to the south and college library to the north.  A patio with seating areas is planned for the courtyard which should be nice for students.  While I'm still not a big fan of the design I appreciate Gould receiving a much needed renovation.  Now if they could only do something about Dale Hall and Dale Tower, man those buildings are fugly!

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## FromTtown

I drove by there today and noticed they now have steel columns in place on the west wing of the building now!  Construction is about to get into full swing now.  The gateway from the Asp ave parking garage is a good concept, though I wonder what the final treatment to the space between Gould and the new side of Gaylord will end up looking like.  At present it seem as though that area is primarly service oriented.  

FromTtown

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## FromTtown

Shot last weekend:



Shot this weekend:



FromTtown

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## Pete

Here's a live webcam link for Gould Hall construction:

College of Architecture: Gould Hall Live Webcam

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## JIMBO

Thanks for the link. Now I know where not to be when I'M picking my nose at work.
I can't believe we're worth two web cams!

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## FromTtown

Steel framing work progressing on the west side:





It seems like they are sticking pretty close to the design shown on their renderings.  Its really neat to watch it undergo this transformation.

Fromttown

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## FromTtown

Here is an update:  



They are starting to button up the building, you can see brickwork on the North side, steel framing and decking is almost done, and mechanical work on the inside is in full swing.  There is one more part of the structure on the southeast side that is still just a foundation waiting for its steel.  Very exciting! 

Here are some shots of the collings hall transformation as well.  



Here is the frame for the new clock tower.



New brickwork on the existing exterior columns can be seen, I suppose to help it match the rest of the campus.



Contrast of the new to the old.  The old part is the background and you can see plywood over the existing columns to be covered in brick.  The scale of the old to the new matches really well.  

FromTtown

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## mugofbeer

Thank you for the pics!

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## FromTtown

Here is a recent shot looking East from the South Oval.  The new West wing is really taking shape now that the envelope is being started.  



And here is the arch being constructed over the passage from the courtyard to the South Oval. 



There is glass on the north side windows now, and the last part of the structure is being filled in on the Northeast side corner of the south wing.  It has been a little over a year since they tore down the west side and started renovation of the building. It is progressing very nicely, especially with the start of exterior being finished on the North side. 

FromTtown

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## ljbab728

> Not sure why they are demolishing Rhyne Hall...
> 
> So, that's two historical buildings they'll be razing:
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a closeup of the Thorpe building; I'm sure it was a fraternity or sorority house back in the day:


I'm really sorry to see the Deke house going.  I lived there in the late 60's and had some great times there.  There were some great historical aspects to the architecture also.  The dining room had amazing murals on the walls and I hope that can be saved somehow.

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## twade

I noticed the Tri-Delt crest was chiseled off of the east chimney. They were removing asbestos last I saw. Who said they were razing Rhyne Hall (former ATO house)? It makes sense; I just haven't seen anything about it.

I'm know some people are attached to Thorpe (Deke) Building, but I'm glad to see it go. The university really didn't take good care of it (surprising from an administration who has done quite well with the maintenance of older buildings).

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## lasomeday

Its funny they try to restore ugly buildings like Gould Hall yet destroy great buildings like Ryne Hall.  Gould Hall is a disaster!  They are going to cram all of the Architecture College in there.

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## FromTtown

This shot of the north wing gives you an idea of what the finished product will look like...



Personally, I don't like the fenestration (windows).  It doesn't really match any other building closely, it just looks like they tacked modern windows onto a relatively classic brick arrangement.  Could have had more horizontality to it to tie it into the rest of the campus.  Just my .02

FromTtown

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## BG918

I agree, I'm not a huge fan of the windows either.  I also am surprised they didn't extend the north wing to the east to gain more space.

They will be setting the huge cast stone gallery window surrounds next weekend and starting brick the week after so it should really start to look more complete on the oval-side in the next few weeks.  

Another view from the South Oval


And from the parking garage

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## FromTtown

Here are some comparison shots from three different perspectives that show the buildings exterior in various degrees of completion.  There are seven shots of four angles, one set of four taken today and one set of three taken exactly a year ago.   A lot of progress has been made but the building still has a ways to go before total completion.


One year ago Gould was a demolition site (garage)




Now its a construction site (garage)




North side shell (even the brick bands shown were eventually demolished and replaced w/ metal framing)




North side today




Northeast view from sidewalk




Same view today




This part didnt even exist last year.





The exterior wall framing has its substrate (sheathing or base covering) in place which gives the final shape of the building, and pretty much anything that is open now will be windows and anything covered will be brick.  Pretty cool, though like I said I would have done it completely in a different manner if I were in charge of the design.   Oh,  the old building where Rhyne hall will be has been demolished, and utility and roadwork are taking place along Jenkins and Lindsey.  

FromTtown

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## FromTtown

Just a quick update. A significant portion of the west facade is now complete.  They are ramping up to complete the exterior of the west wing as well as the south wing now.  I imagine by the beginning of next school year everything but the administrative side will be dried in and ready to finish on the inside.  No visible work on new Rhyne yet, it's just a hole in the ground, and Collings is coming along as well.  Here is what Gould looks like from the oval now:



fromTtown

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## BG918

> Just a quick update. A significant portion of the west facade is now complete.  They are ramping up to complete the exterior of the west wing as well as the south wing now.  I imagine by the beginning of next school year everything but the administrative side will be dried in and ready to finish on the inside.  No visible work on new Rhyne yet, it's just a hole in the ground, and Collings is coming along as well.  Here is what Gould looks like from the oval now:
> 
> 
> 
> fromTtown


Looking good.  It would be nice to see the west facade done for graduation weekend (May 15).

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