There is really nothing like brand new walls and an uncluttered room to show off the beauty of the ceilings in our newly renovated Exhibit Hall! The first phase of much anticipated renovation project of the UW Rome Center first floor is finally coming to a close after breaking ground in January 2019. While the project has weathered numerous roadblocks along the way, not to mention the impact on the global pandemic on construction, the outcome is truly extraordinary and was quite arguably worth the wait.
Every surface has been touched, with careful attention to preserve the historic prominence of the structure while providing a modern educational environment for years to come. Most notably, we’ve redesigned the first floor to maximize educational space and utility. To this end, we made several important changes to the configuration of rooms, beginning with the creation of an inviting waiting area at the entrance of the floor. Next to that, we’ve added a new community kitchenette for use by faculty, students and staff. Further down the hall, we’ve built a new classroom, and just before the Conference Room, we’ve opened up the former seminar room into a spacious, well-light Exhibit Hall cloaked by the striking fresco on the vaulted ceiling depicting Juno, Aeolus, god of the winds, and the nymph Deiopea. This new space will be used to feature student projects and short term exhibits of local artists and members of the UW Rome Center community. Beyond the Conference Room, we’ve repositioning the faculty apartment to allow for a Seminar Room in the farthest room of the floor, which will also allow for communal access to the terrace overlooking Campo de’ Fiori.
Beyond these great changes, beautiful new tile floors have been laid, lighting has been completely redone, new kitchens have been installed in the faculty apartment and the communal kitchenette, all bathrooms have been redesigned and new equipment installed, all walls have been painted and trimmed, and fire, safety, HVAC and electrical systems have been completely updated. The finishing touch will few educational technology including audiovisual equipment and computers in all of the classrooms and the Conference Room to be installed in the next few weeks. We look forward to sharing this new space with our faculty and students, with the return to study abroad anticipated for Autumn Quarter 2021!
Also exciting is that renovation work on the third floor has commenced. Preparatory work including redoing some non-loadbearing walls, demolishing bathrooms, and reinforcing of the floors is already well underway. Like the first floor, we have redesigned the third floor to maximize educational space and utility. Major changes including moving the office to the former faculty apartment, creating a new Business Center in the former faculty office and moving the library to the space below the Business Center. We look forward to keeping you updated on this next phase of this project!
