The almost-100-year-old Newell Hall will likely be the location of UF’s 24-hour study center.
Built in 1910, Newell is one of the four oldest buildings on campus and is in need of renovation.
It’s also centrally located and close to food venues, all of which made it a prime candidate for the new study center, which is being built to give students an all-day study option and to take pressure off Library West.
The renovation, which could start in June or July and be finished in the fall of 2011, will be paid for mostly by $12 million in stimulus funds.
Because UF is using stimulus funds, the money cannot be used for new construction, so an existing building must be modified.
And because the building is in the National Register of Historic Places and its historic look must be preserved, officials said they will try to secure extra funds in case there are any surprises, said Ed Poppell, UF’s vice president of business administration.
As an example, Poppell noted that when UF had to replace the windows in Tigert Hall, another historic building, it cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more than expected because they were specially made to look like the original windows from the 1950s.
To make way for the students in the new study center, he said, some faculty from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences who currently occupy Newell will be moved to nearby Bryant Hall, while some staff from Computing and Networking Services on the third floor of Bryant will be moved to an office in east Gainesville.
Meanwhile, students will still be able to study until 3 a.m. at the Hub.
The modified hours continue until the end of January, by which time the Student Senate will have decided if it wants to continue the program.
The extended hours were made possible this semester by $30,000 in student funds, and a similar, but slightly larger, subsidy will be required next semester, said Student Body President Jordan Johnson.
Last week, the Hub averaged about 50 people at night, though in mid-October the traffic peaked at about 130 people overnight, according to records Johnson provided.
SG will lobby to have the hours at the Hub and Library West extended again during finals this semester, he said.
