Bennett work still in the air

Almost two years ago, long-overdue renovations were proposed for the deteriorating Bennett Hall, the home of the English department.

The plan for the upgrade, which high-ranking University officials deemed one of Penn's top priorities, included moving the Music Department from its cramped location next door on 34th Street into the more spacious Bennett.

But the renovations on the building -- which originally served as a women's dormitory -- have not yet started, and no timetable has been set for the beginning or the completion of the project.

Before the University can proceed with the much-needed makeover, it must find an external source of money to fund a project that School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston estimates will cost between $10 and $20 million.

SAS is in fundraising mode, though, and Preston left yesterday to solicit yet another donor for the project.

"We've got our work cut out for us," Preston added. "We've had a number of significant gifts, but we've got a long way to go."

"I'm confident that we'll be able to find the funds for it, therefore I'm confident that we will be able to complete the project," he added.

Preston said that upgrading the aging building remains a top priority.

"The basic infrastructure of the building needs to be improved," Preston said. "The fact that the school made this a high priority indicates the importance of the humanities in the landscape of Penn activities and particularly the importance of the humanities in undergraduate activities, which are thriving."

"The infrastructure has slipped behind the quality of the faculty and the programs," he added.

For years, the University has also been searching for a better home for the Music Department -- and Bennett is conducive to music instruction, with its tall ceilings and rehearsal space.

Administrators completed a feasibility study a year ago that examined the possibility of combining the two departments in one building. During the study, a group of architects were asked to design a building that would serve the needs of English and music.

"Both English and Music use technology with their teaching," SAS Associate Dean for Arts and Letters Rebecca Bushnell said. "The renovated building will have state-of-the-art classrooms with state-of-the-art technology."

Bushnell, who is also an English professor, said she hopes that redoing the heating, air conditioning and, most importantly, sound insulation will transform a building full of character into a livable space.

"I dearly love the building," Bushnell said. "But it's hard to teach there. A lot of the street noise leaks in through the windows."

Bushnell said she's had to stop more than once mid-sentence during a class due to ambulance sirens or honking horns from the street below.

English Department Chairman David Wallace cited further evidence for the much-needed renovations. His office was invaded by termites twice last week, and the handle recently fell off the building's front door.

"Bennett Hall is often the first building you encounter when you come on campus," Wallace said. "It doesn't offer a good image of Penn to the world."

It's no surprise, then, that English faculty members look forward to the renovations with enthusiasm, anticipation and anxiety.

Wallace hopes that the renovations will retain the historical character of Bennett -- a building where Martin Luther King Jr. once studied. At the same time, Wallace says he looks forward to a renovated Bennett Hall that will be more modern, functional and comfortable.

"We really love Bennett Hall," Wallace said. "A great tradition is associated with Penn English and with Bennett Hall. Our whole history is bound up with this building."

"It's a beautiful building," Wallace added. "It just badly needs upgrading."

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