Since its inception on October 1, 1830, Capital University has developed from a Seminary with 100 faculty members and just over 1,000 students into a widely renowned liberal arts college with distinctly prestigious music and nursing programs. While it still maintains its Lutheran ideology and morals, Capital has been able to offer a vast number of different majors and programs from its 200 years of construction.
Naturally, one of the earliest buildings constructed on Capital’s campus is Kerns Religious Life Center. Originally built in 1915, Kerns was renovated in 1936 and 1987. Kerns has had some major renovations in the last two years. The entire building envelope was repaired by adding new mortar to the spaces between the bricks and the entire perimeter of the building was excavated and new perimeter drains installed and the foundation walls resealed.
Most recently the roof has been replaced. Terry Lahm, Associate Provost, says that Kerns is next up for major renovations and restorations after Renner Hall is razed.
“The next stages are to replace the building’s mechanical systems, raze the glass atrium, and replace this with a handicap-accessible building façade, and purchase new energy efficient windows,” Lahm said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to complete these remains projects as soon as next summer.”
“Beyond this, we’re of course looking forward the renovation of Battelle Hall,” Lahm said.
Battelle Hall has not seen any major updates since its latest renovation in 1978.
However, many students are wondering when Lohman Complex will receive its next major renovation, specifically air conditioning. The dorm was completed in October 1960 and has seen several major renovations in 1969, 2011, 2013. While Lohman Complex is actually one of the newer dormitories on campus, the lack of air conditioning remains a major problem for freshmen.
Mackenzie Meyers, freshman at Capital, says living on the third floor of Lohman is almost unbearable during the first month or so of school.
“Whatever the temperature is outside, you can expect it to be about ten degrees hotter in your room. Sometimes you just can’t have enough fans,” Meyers said.
Lahm says that the school has been considering a way to fund air condition for the dormitory.
“We have identified the probable cost to replace windows and install air conditioning in Lohman Hall at some point in the future. We will pursue funding through university processes, such as the Capital Improvement Project funding mechanism,” Lahm said.
Naturally, with buildings dating back to the late 1800s, material will wear down and leave structures vulnerable to mold and other types of infestations. However, Lahm assures students that Capital is taking the appropriate steps to ensure that every building is mold, rodent, and roach free.
“Regarding Schaaf basement, testing and inspections that were conducted on August 18, 2015 by an outside environmental consultant did not find suspect mold growth. Additionally, indoor air quality testing conducted at the same time yielded results showing a lower total spore count inside the building than the naturally occurring spore count outside the building, which corroborates the results of the visual inspections,” Lahm said.
As time goes by and Capital grows older, students can look forward to new renovations and even new construction as the school works to stay modern and efficient.
