Chase Hall in Lewiston, named for Bates College’s second president, George Colby Chase, houses the Office of Intercultural Education, Office of Campus Life, Office of Residence Life and Health Education, the Bobcat Den, and some of its Purposeful Work program. Steve Collins/Sun Journal
LEWISTON — Bates College plans this spring to begin renovating Chase Hall, a 105-year-old, block-long building on Campus Avenue that has long served as a hub for campus life.
Its aim is “to reshape and revitalize the building” so that it “will be more accessible, more vibrant and a center for student services,” according to a letter addressed to the Bates Community by Pam Wichroski, director of capital planning and construction, and Geoffrey Swift, vice president for finance and administration.
“By renovating the building,” the pair said, “we can unify core student services under one roof and create much-needed space for new programs and social gatherings.”
As part of the project, Bates plans to move some staff and offices to 96 Campus Ave., the former convent it purchased in September from St. Mary’s Healthcare System for $1.95 million. They would remain there until the work on Chase Hall is completed during the summer of 2023, officials said.
Chase Hall, named for the college’s second president, George Colby Chase, has a couple of large common rooms, sometimes used for speakers and events, and houses the college’s Office of Intercultural Education, Office of Campus Life, Office of Residence Life and Health Education, the Bobcat Den, and some of its Purposeful Work program.
The popular and recently overhauled Bobcat Den will be closed as upgrades are made to the building’s core systems.
A former convent at 96 Campus Ave. in Lewiston, constructed in 1977, was purchased last year by Bates College. It will house some displaced offices and student groups during renovations of Chase Hall. Its long-term use is not yet clear. Steve Collins/ Sun Journal
Wichroski and Swift said that during the construction, the Office of Campus Life, the Office of Intercultural Education and the Office of Residence Life & Health Education will move the 96 Campus Ave. building to “keep these offices together to seamlessly serve students.”
They also said the newly acquired building, which has had medical offices in recent years, will offer programming and storage space for student clubs, organizations and groups that have relied on Chase Hall.
“Our collective goal is to make 96 Campus Ave. a vibrant, student-friendly space that is easy to navigate and to make meaningful connections while we make these important improvements and updates to Chase Hall,” the two said in their letter.
The college has not said anything about its long-term plans, if any, for the former convent building or property.
Officials said the coming renovations are part of a long-range plan adopted by the college in 2016 that called for “reimagining Chase Hall or by designing and building a new facility” that would “provide spaces for students to gather, flexible spaces for programming and student organization meetings, studio and maker space, and the offices and centers that enable students to explore the range of interests they bring to and discover over the course of their Bates career.”
It said that “student-centered offices and services should be located in the campus center, making it a hub of activity during the day, when student organizations tend not to be active, as well as in the evening, when student-driven programs thrive.”
In addition, the 2016 report said, the space “should be designed to invite the campus community, college visitors and the public in by locating within it a lively array of services. “
The project will bring new entrances to Chase Hall from Campus Avenue and Franklin Walk — the old site of Franklin Street — and new connecting corridors, new stairs and a new elevator that will collectively “greatly improve building accessibility and circulation for occupants and visitors and allow a much more welcoming and inclusive presence,” the letter said.
There will also be more space for student activities and organizations, more meeting rooms and new common lounge areas.
Chase Hall was erected in 1917 during the almost three-decade tenure of George Colby Chase, whose leadership brought an array of new buildings to what had previously been a small campus, including Gomes Chapel, Rand Hall, the Carnegie Science Hall, Coram Library and Chase Hall.
Offices are slated to begin moving out of Chase Hall in late April. Construction fencing will go up in early June, officials said, and Franklin Walk between Chase Hall and the Muskie Archives will be blocked to pedestrian access. In addition, the sidewalk in front of Chase Hall will be closed off, including the bus stop.
Officials said they plan to provide more details about the project in April.
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