Ellis Library will undergo some structural repairs to the 1935 addition (the west wing of the current building). A number of cracks appeared in the walls and stairways on the west side of the building after last summer’s drought. Engineers tell us that there is no loss of structural integrity, but they need to repair cracks that are in the roof and on the west side of the main staircase. They will begins the repairs right after the fall 2013 semester ends. They estimate the work will take eight weeks to complete. They plan to finish this work before the next round of renovations, which will be made to Room 202 in preparation for the “Renew Mizzou” tenants from Jesse Hall.
Pat Jones will be the Ellis Library point of contact for the project, and Gary Cox will serve as her alternate.
Some additional details:
- the west stairwell will be closed from the 1st to the 3rd floor during the repairs
- the entrance to room 202 that is next to the west stairwell will also be closed, but access to room 202 will be available through room 201
- room 202 may need to be closed temporarily because they will be bring some building materials through the windows in that room
- there will be an exterior staging area set up somewhere between Speakers’ Circle and the entrance to Ellis Auditorium
- we should receive further details about the repairs as we enter the design development phase of the project in September.