Construction on the Francine A. LeFrak Center for Well-Being has entered the demolition phase in Barnard Hall, causing the relocation of five offices across campus, as well as street and sidewalk closures along Claremont Avenue.

Demolition is underway in preparation for Barnard’s new Francine A. LeFrak Center for Well-Being in Barnard Hall, according to an email sent to students by Barnard Builds Tuesday afternoon. The full text of the email can be found below. 

In addition to the work currently underway in Barnard Hall, five Barnard offices across campus have relocated to accommodate construction. First, the Financial Aid office has relocated indefinitely to the Vagelos Alumnae and Admissions Center in the Barnard Quad from its original location in Milbank Hall. Meanwhile, BCIT is still in the process of relocating, but is expected to open its new Service Desk location in Milbank 011 during the week of January 23. Further, both the Payroll office and the Pre-College Programs office are now located on the 13th floor of the Interfaith Center at 61 Claremont. Finally, the CARDS testing center in Barnard Hall will relocate to Diana 307 later this month, though the CARDS offices and its Altschul Hall testing location will remain in place. 

As for Barnard Hall, demolition has already begun in areas of the first floor, mezzanine, and lower level. According to Tuesday’s email, Barnard Builds anticipates this construction will reach peak noise levels in late January and throughout February, but did not report that either floor would be inaccessible to students.

Additionally, the construction team plans to occupy several parking spaces on the east side of Claremont Avenue. Community members should expect a higher frequency of partial lane and sidewalk closures along Claremont due to material deliveries.

Email to Barnard students from Barnard Builds on January 17, 2023 at 3:29 PM: 

Dear Barnard community,

We hope that you enjoyed your Winter Break and are looking forward to this Spring semester. While you were away, we were hard at work on preparatory work for the new Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being in Barnard Hall. We know that construction on campus can be disruptive and inconvenient at times. We will be doing our best to minimize this disruption and keep you informed as the project moves along this winter and spring.

As with all construction projects, the dates below are subject to change. We will continue to update you throughout the project and contact you immediately should any major impacts or changes arise during the coming months. Please remember to observe signage and avoid limited access or restricted access areas. Current updates include:

• Demolition has begun in areas of the first floor, mezzanine and lower levels of Barnard Hall. We expect the noisiest of this work to occur at the end of January and in February.
• Steel installation and general construction activities will continue throughout the construction site.
• Several parking spaces on the east side of Claremont Avenue have been designated for construction activities and will be unavailable during the duration of the project. Vehicles that are parked in posted areas will be towed.
• There may be a higher frequency of material deliveries that result in partial lane and sidewalk closures along Claremont.

In addition, several College offices/departments moved to other locations during break to help make way for these construction activities, and additional moves will occur over the coming weeks. Please note these new locations and the schedule for additional moves throughout the rest of the month:

• The Payroll office moved from Milbank Hall to the 14th floor of Interfaith Center (formerly Interchurch Center) located at 61 Claremont.
• The Pre-College Programs office moved from the Vagelos Alumnae and Admissions Center to the 14th floor of the Interfaith Center.
• The Financial Aid office moved from Milbank Hall to the Quad/Vagelos Alumnae and Admissions Center.
• BCIT will move from the third floor of the Diana Center to the lower level of Milbank Hall during the week of January 23. The new Service Desk location will be in Milbank 011.
• The CARDS testing center will move from Barnard Hall to Diana 307 at the end of January/early February. The CARDS offices and testing center in Altschul Hall are not moving at this time.

For additional information on the Barnard Hall construction project, visit Barnard Builds website and/or email barnardbuilds@barnard.edu for questions or concerns. Thank you!

Barnard Builds

Update made Thursday, January 19 at 7:00 pm: 

Barnard Builds has issued a correction to their initial statement, clarifying that the Payroll office and the Pre-College Programs office will be located on the 13th floor of the Interfaith Center. An earlier email stated the offices would be located on the 14th floor. 

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