Stores of knowledge

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Summer 2002 by Neal, Albert E

New England Colleges Are Turning Retail Space into Classrooms

Kids are frequenting some old New England department stores again. But they're not buying CDs and jeans; they're investing in certificates and degrees. The University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth have purchased former retail space in historic downtown buildings-and refurbished them for educational uses. Boston University houses its School of Hospitality Administration in a former Cadillac dealership. Maine College of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design and Montserrat College of Art have all converted vacant downtown stores to gallery space. After Housatonic Community College spent $27 million renovating the dilapidated Hi-Ho mall in Bridgeport, Conn., enrollment grew so fast, administrators began looking for more space-this time, in a former Sears building.

College officials find rehabilitating old downtown stores attractive for several reasons. Fixing up an existing building can be more cost-efficient than buying land and building from scratch. Town-gown relations are improved as the institution's investment helps reinvigorate the central business districts and strengthen community ties. The college can also show the community its commitment to the environment by applying sustainable architecture practices to the site. And the inherent charm and history of the buildings markets the whole institution. Plus, department stores tended to be located right smack in the middle of downtowns. So, in their new lives, the buildings offer a central location for a sometimes-overlooked student market.

But redeveloping antiquated buildings also presents challenges. Will the building meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act? How will new technologies be integrated? What about preserving the building's architectural integrity? Are special permits or zoning required? Some examples:

Shepard Building, Providence, R.I.

From the 1870s to the 1970s, Shepard's symbolized the vitality of downtown Providence. Residents would meet under the Shepard Co. store clock on Westminster Street or charge inside where they shopped until they dropped.

Just as the bustle of Shepard's echoed the verve of Providence, the store's 1974 closing confirmed the city's economic malaise.

Jump to the 1990s. The University of Rhode Island begins eyeing the deteriorated Shepard Building as the new location for its College of Continuing Education. Though the college's dean publicly voiced skepticism about the building, URI hired the architectural firm of Presbrey and Torrado and the old Shepard Building was gutted, refurbished and transformed into URI's Providence Campus at a cost of $34 million.

Today, the 272,000 square-foot building features 60 fiber-optic wired classrooms, a 30,000-volume library, a 500-seat auditorium, science and language labs, a bookstore, even a full-service restaurant and a fitness center (as well as an experimental high school).

But it wasn't easy. The building sat idle for two decades and there was no roof. "When we first turned on the heat, the floor started to move," says Director of Facilities and Operations Gary Lulli. "We had a lot of nails popping through the vinyl tile." (Six years later, the nail problem remains.)

In addition, the old store's support columns were positioned every 16 to 18 feet in each direction, which would have put them right in the middle of the classrooms, auditorium and lecture halls. "Columns in the middle of offices are great because you can use them for a chase for wiring and for fiber-optics," says Lulli, "but in the middle of a classroom they're not so good."

But security has been a nagging concern since the project's inception. Many of the 4,000 students enrolled at the college are suburban women who work during the day. Security officers are on duty 24 hours a day at two of the building's entrances. A third officer patrols the Shepard Building by foot. Still, students tell local newspapers they fear muggers as they trek from classroom to parking lot late at night.

Cherry & Webb, Fall River, Mass.

The 67,000 square-foot Cherry & Webb building in Fall River, Mass., captured the imagination of planners at two New England institutions. Roger Williams University initially expressed interest in leasing one floor of the building for corporate training programs. But city and state officials favored a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth plan to lease both the second and third floors for its Center for Professional and Continuing Studies and the rest of the building for education and research purposes.

Restoration of the building, which had stood vacant since 1995, is part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown Fall River, including a planned $46 million courthouse across the street from the Cherry & Webb building.

The project, slated for completion in fall 2002, has highlighted the regulatory and political challenges inherent in downtown rebuilding. Officials charged that the building contractor began demolishing and stripping the building's interior and facade before securing the required permits, setting off a local political drama over the proper authority for permits and fee waivers.