Pearsons Nears Completion
By Adam Myers
Staff Writer

Cranes and construction workers have recently been a common sight on the Pomona campus. This year, Pearsons Hall, located on the corner of Sixth Street and College Avenue, is undergoing renovations. Originally the college's science building, Pearsons currently houses the history, philosophy, and religious studies departments. Built in 1898, it is the oldest academic building on campus.

"The building was last renovated in the mid-50's," said Director of Campus Planning Jim Hansen, referring to Pearsons. "We needed to bring the facilities up to date." He explained that three years ago, the college produced a long-range renovation plan for all of its buildings. This year, it is Pearsons' turn to be renovated.

The process of renovating Pearsons began when an inspection team hired by the college toured the building last year. The inspection team, made up of an architect, structural engineer, and an estimator, together considered what sorts of improvements would modernize Pearsons. They concluded that the building did not have enough structural reinforcement for earthquakes.

This is not the first time that Pearsons has been renovated to meet seismic standards. Originally, the building's exterior wall was made up of four brick layers. In 1958, in response to newer standards, one of those brick layers was removed; in its place, workers added a material called gunite, a cement-and-sand mixture designed to increase the rigidity of the walls.

This year, in order to make the exterior wall even more resistant to bending and flexing, the construction team removed two of the three remaining courses of brick, and in their place added a wide layer of cement with reinforcing steel. In addition, all floor structures in the building are being replaced, and an elevator for disabled persons is being added.

When asked if the renovated building will keep its historic look, Hansen responded that it absolutely would. "When we go through a renovation, we try to maintain the historical flavor," he said, citing the office's efforts during the Clark-I renovation last year to maintain that dormitory's architectural heritage.

After the renovation of Pearsons is complete, the next academic building in line to be renovated is Crookshank. After Crookshank, Seaver South will be renovated, and the neighboring Thille building will be demolished. The Thille building, currently being used as office and laboratory space for the biology department, will be replaced by a new biology building. Seaver South will be set aside entirely for biology laboratories. The geology department, currently located on the second floor of Seaver South, will have to move, though it is not yet clear where. One possibility is the Baxter Medical Center.

With respect to residential areas, the renovation of Clark-I was completed last summer and the renovation of Clark-V will be completed this summer. Fire sprinklers will be added to Clark-III, so that all north campus dorms will have fire sprinklers. From there, dorm renovation will move south, first to Lyon, then to Wig, and finally to Smiley.