News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Local & Bistate

July 25, 2012

New ISU building almost ready

Business college to move into Federal Hall next month

TERRE HAUTE — Truckloads of new furniture are being delivered, and the sign on the former federal building at Seventh and Cherry streets says it all.

Just in time for the start of a new academic year, the Indiana State University Scott College of Business is preparing to move into its new home in what is now called Federal Hall.

The building is in the final stages of a $20 million renovation that combines historic elements with new construction necessary for 21st century classrooms and offices. The move to the new building is expected to take place in early August.

The building, which features early 20th century art deco traditional architecture, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I think it’s just a magnificent facility,” said Bruce McLaren, associate dean of the Scott College, who helped plan the renovations. “I’m proud it didn’t have to be demolished.”

He’s been involved with the project for more than 10 years, although initial plans didn’t even involve the federal building.

Federal Hall is ISU’s first academic building south of Cherry Street. The College of Business is currently located in Statesman Towers on Sycamore Street between North Eighth and Ninth streets.

The historic corridors in Federal Hall, including the former first-floor post office corridor, “really haven’t changed much and that’s intentional. That’s keeping to the character of the building,” McLaren said.

Even the traditional post office boxes will remain in the first-floor corridor, although those won’t be used. A contract postal facility on the west part of the first floor has post office boxes for use by customers.

Other parts of the building that have been preserved are the federal court room, judge’s chamber and judge’s library. The rest of the building was gutted and rebuilt using 21st century construction and technology.

The Scott College of Business has 12 classrooms, including five on the lower level. Faculty offices will be located on two floors rather than five in the existing building.

The lower level has a commons area where students, faculty and staff can relax, meet and even eat at the Executive Express café.

Architects created a new façade on the building’s south side, which replaces the now-unneeded loading dock that faced businesses along Wabash Avenue.

On the first floor, a financial trading room now exists in what was once a sorting area in the federal building’s post office. Other space in that area will be used for academic advising, a student professional development center and Sycamore Business Advisers.

The former federal courtroom will not be a classroom. Instead, it is a multi-purpose room that will be used for workshops, speakers and receptions, McLaren said.

Federal Hall has been updated to provide the technology required by today’s students. Classrooms use smart technology, and “there is no chalkboard in this building,” McLaren said. “We use whiteboards. That’s a big change for us.”

There will be Wi-Fi throughout the building, and there are more electrical outlets to accommodate students using laptops.

Every room has a thermostat as well as motion-sensing light switches.

The university is almost ready to accept the building, although there are a few items on a punch list that must be attended to, McLaren said.

The Scott College of Business has about 1,200 undergraduate majors and about 100 graduate students.

The general contractor for the project is Shiel Sexton, and the architect is Schmidt Associates of Indianapolis.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin @tribstar.com

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