Construction workers started to bulldoze the quad in front of Jenkins and Taplin Dormitories yesterday for a temporary parking lot. The area will provide parking for cars displaced from the spaces behind Fayerweather during construction. Once workers have finished bulldozing the area, they will cover it with gravel.
Though construction will not start on the building itself until classes end, the changes may make a difference for quad residents.
"I guess it's necessary," said Rebekah Coleman '02, a resident of Taplin. "But I think it's a shame. It's a nice place to hang out and read in the spring."
"There really aren't many options," said Acting Treasurer Peter Shea, who emphasized that the renovations should take only one semester, finishing up before classes begin next spring.
"It's definitely going to be restored," added Shea.
Although the Fayerweather renovations had been slated to begin at the beginning of 2001, high construction costs at the time caused the Trustees to hold off on plans until prices fell. Shea pegged the current cost of the project at around $11 million, "over a million" less than previous estimates, but still higher than first thought.
"I think it is a lot more expensive than originally expected," said Shea.
Faculty members who have offices in Fayerweather are in the process of moving to Clark House, where they will be housed in the interim.