Posted on Friday, January 21, 2005
Westminster College recently received a $10,000 grant toward the $3 million renovation of Old Main from the Samuel P. Black Family Fund of the Erie Community Foundation.
"We are deeply grateful to the Samuel P. Black Family Fund of the Erie Community Foundation for its support of the Project for Old Main," said Westminster College President R. Thomas Williamson. "Old Main is our signature academic and administrative facility, and has had only minor renovations since it was built in 1929. Project infrastructure improvements include upgrading the building's electrical and heating systems and installing a sprinkler system, elevator, additional restrooms, and air conditioning. We are also enhancing classrooms and academic program areas, refurbishing the Chapel, and restoring the bell tower masonry. Together, these improvements will result in an up-to-date, comfortable, and fully accessible building that will meet the present and future needs of our student - many of whom are from Erie and Northwest Pennsylvania - while retaining its distinctive historic character."
Old Main renovation work began last summer, and the entire project will be completed by early September.
The Project for Old Main is the sixth of seven construction and renovation projects included in Westminster College's $30 million Shared Vision, Uncommon Results fundraising initiative. The five projects completed since 1998 total nearly $23 million and include the Western Pennsylvania Cultural Arts Center ($1.7 million), Marjorie A. Walker Recreation Center ($285,000), Andrew J. McKelvey Campus Center ($14.4 million), Thompson-Clark Hall ($3 million), and the Memorial Field House ($3.4 million).
