According to Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Brassord, the delay was a result of the consulting firm, Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, missing the summer deadline it had agreed upon with the school. Though plans are now completed, the present demand for subcontractors has driven prices beyond what the College is prepared to pay, according to Brassord. Brassord said that he believes that if the consulting firm had met their deadline, the College would have been able to search for subcontractors when the demand was lower.
"If Einhorn Yaffee Prescott had been more responsive to the project, I think we would have had more aggressive bids from the subcontractor community," said Brassord.
Mark Thaler, the principal-in-charge of the project for Einhorn Yafee Prescott, attributed the delay to "some redesigns of the attic spaces so the mechanical systems could be moved down into the building," he said.
"Our goal was to give the College a first-rate art facility that will be both state of the art, and at the same time to maintain the historic integrity of the building," added Thaler.
Should the College be unable to hire a subcontractor in upcoming weeks, renovations could be delayed from six to 18 months, Brassord said.
The renovation is supposed to bring Fayerweather's safety, mechanical, and environmental systems up to current code standards. Ground in front of the building will also be excavated to reveal more of the building's original steps, which have been buried for decades. Fayerweather, now home to the Department of Fine Arts, was originally built to house the departments of physics and chemistry. The large spaces originally intended for laboratories will make a renovated Fayerweather ideal for art and art history, according to Professor of Fine Arts Carol Clark.
"We don't need to gut the place," Clark said. "We want to take advantage of the science spaces."
Plans call for the addition of five classrooms, including an eighty-seat auditorium. The attic, now unsafe to walk in, will be transformed into an art history study room, faculty offices, and a 2D studio.
The construction company will add two student galleries and the Eli Marsh Gallery will be expanded. A space will also be reserved for honors students pursuing their theses. To conform to handicap accessibility standards, an elevator will be installed, and the ramp currently in front of the building will be replaced.
Fayerweather's renovations will also involve a revamped eastern entrance. The area which now serves as a parking lot will be converted into an outdoor sculpture space and a path that connects Fayerweather to the social dorms. The path is meant to encourage students to pass through the building, according to Clark.
Fayerweather, which is "the most significant architectural structure on campus," according to Clark, was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead, and White. Fayerweather was the firm's first academic building.