The School of Nursing’s historic Godchaux Hall will be renovated over the next year with gifts from private donors as well as a grant from the Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. Photo by Gerald Holly
School of Nursing to begin renovation project
The School of Nursing’s historic Godchaux Hall will soon be renovated with funding from gifts and grants, including one by the Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health, marking the first time a school of nursing has been awarded the grant.
It’s the first major renovation of the entire building in more than 30 years, and will allow the School to rebuild within the existing structure to use the space more efficiently.
The plans call for the interior of Godchaux Hall to be renovated and rebuilt, while the exterior will remain the same. The heating and air conditioning system, plumbing, and electrical systems will be replaced.
Other work includes installing a new elevator, asbestos abatement, installing a sprinkler and fire system, and new electronic card access to the building.
“These changes will assure the integration of the roles of research, practice, and academics into space designed to maximize the success of each, all of which are undergirded by educational informatics,” said Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., Nancy and Hilliard Travis Professor and dean of the School of Nursing. “Our students will greatly benefit from the efficiency of the space, the wireless network throughout the building, and the enhanced learning environment,” she added.
Phase One of the project involves starting the construction on floors four through six; which will begin this summer and last about 10 months. When completed, VUSN’s doctoral program will find a new home on the sixth floor, while research space, exam rooms, behavioral labs, clinical intervention offices, and faculty and staff offices will be moved to the fifth floor. The Joint Center for Nursing Research, grants management, and other offices will be housed on the fourth floor.
During Phase One, the school’s Instructional Media Center, taking up much of the third floor, will be permanently relocated to the second floor of Frist Hall in the School of Nursing.
Phase Two, involving the basement, through the third floor, is expected to begin in late spring of 2005 and last about eight months. The first floor will continue to house the dean’s office and administration. Student services and the Practice Management will move to the second floor. The third floor will become classrooms, office space, the Office of Lifelong Learning, and will also include the Neonatal, Family, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs.
Funding for the renovations was provided by the grant and key financial supporters, including the Godchaux family. The project marks the first major overhaul of Godchaux Hall since 1971. The building was erected in 1925 and originally housed classrooms and a library and served as a dormitory for nursing students.