University officials have made plans to renovate several of MSU’s oldest campus buildings. Plans for the renovations of Harned Hall, Lloyd-Ricks Annex and Middleton Hall have been approved by the university and funding has been approved by the state Legislature to begin the projects as early as next year.Tim Muzzi, university architect and assistant director of facilities, said he expects both Harned and Lloyd-Ricks to be completed within 18 to 20 months, and Middleton Hall (where the ROTC program is located), will be completed within 10 months to a year.
“[The buildings] will be off-line for about three semesters,” Muzzi said.
The renovations to Harned Hall, one of MSU’s oldest buildings, will reveal the building’s original architecture, Muzzi said.
“Harned is a historical building. There are old trusses similar to those in the cafeteria and we want to expose that,” he said.
Muzzi said the interior of Lloyd-Ricks will be completely renovated.
“We’ll keep the walls, add a new interior stairwell and an exterior handicap entrance,” he said. [We’ll also add] new mechanical and electrical systems into the building as well as modernizing the interior.”
Muzzi said integrating modern technology and systems into buildings nearly a century old can be difficult.
“These buildings were never designed to have mechanical systems we have today,” he said. “You’re having to deal with architecture with a ceiling point, and having to find a place to put [air conditioning] duct work and conduit in the walls for ITS and communication needs.”
Executive director of facilities Jim Jones said other renovation projects including Lee Hall, and the YMCA building are in the pre-planning stages.
“We’ve selected the architect for Lee Hall, but I’m not at liberty to say who it is because it [has not been officially announced],” Jones said. “[This year] we’ll go in and decide what needs to be done when we renovate [Lee Hall].”
The actual design and construction will follow once the plans have approval by the Institutions of Higher Learning board and the state Bureau of Buildings, Jones said.
“We’ll begin the design process when the state Legislature approves the funding for that amount, probably not starting for 18 months to two years,” he said.
While the renovations are taking place, classes and offices that would normally be in the buildings under construction will be moved to other adjacent buildings, he said.
“When you do a renovation of a building, you have to find swing-space to take care of whatever is going on in that building,” he said. “Sometimes [classes and offices] are scattered throughout campus.”
Jones said renovation is necessary to continue meeting the needs of the students and faculty on campus for today and the future.
“At some point you have to go in and bring it up to current standards,” he said. “Renovate and rearrange so you’re meeting the needs of today’s students. [Renovations] also take care of all building code, Americans with Disabilities Act and fire and safety issues.”
Senior elementary education major Tameka Johnson said renovating some of the older buildings like Lee Hall would be a positive move.
“[I don’t like] the creaking floors and smells,” she said. “It’d be good for students to have remodeled buildings.”
Sophomore political science major Thomas Tolbert said he appreciates the historical buildings, but still wants them to be useable.
“I’d like to maintain the historical look, but I don’t want to feel like I’m having class in a museum,” he said. “It would be nice having [the buildings] comfortable and up to date.”
Jones said he appreciates the students, staff and faculty for their understanding when construction is on campus.
“Construction is painful for those people that it impacts, but if you don’t do it, [progress] will never happen,” he said. “The university is pushing forward and the focus is on moving forward rather than just standing still.”
The most immediate construction event is the construction of the Old Main Plaza, which should begin within the next six months. In the meantime, some road repaving and other smaller construction events are being planned.
“We just finished re-roofing the architecture building and we have four other buildings that are about to be re-roofed,” Jones said.
Muzzi said some parking and road construction is also being planned for the area around Hardy Street.
“We’re about to start bidding for paving the dirt parking lot across from the new band hall,” he said. “The paving would begin near the end of October. We’re also trying to add some parking behind the industrial education building, and next summer we’re anticipating widening Hardy Street to three lanes like we did Stone.”
Muzzi said he understands parking is a sensitive subject for many students.
He also said the university is trying to improve the situation for everyone on campus.
“It’s not our goal to take any [parking] away,” he said. “It’s our goal to make what we have better and add to them.

Gallery • 1 Photos