Coburn Hall, the original academic building at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, has reopened for the spring 2020 semester after undergoing a $47 million renovation, restoration and expansion.
The university says the 123-year-old facility was out of commission for about a year and a half as the upgrades were completed.
Twelve new technology-enhanced classrooms—nine on the lower level and three on the first floor—are open to all departments for the start of the spring semester.
Coburn Hall originally opened in 1897 as the home of the Lowell Normal School, a two-year teachers college.
Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, who took classes in Coburn Hall as an undergraduate and later taught in the building as a faculty member, says the renovation symbolizes the university’s path toward the future while celebrating its past.
“Knowing what a gem this building was and what it means to this university, to see this today is just so exciting,” Moloney says.
The most noticeable element of the project is a four-story, 14,000-square-foot addition at the rear of the existing 60,000-square-foot building. Besides providing an accessible entrance to Coburn Hall’s lower level, the addition includes a second-floor hallway (lined with offices) that provides an accessible “bridge” between the building’s two wings.
Coming in the main entrance, the first-floor lobby’s original terrazzo flooring has been restored after being hidden beneath a layer of tiles for decades. The stained-glass window that faced guests entering the lobby was moved down the hall to make way for a large picture window, which offers a view into a model elementary school classroom.
On the second floor, Coburn Hall’s grand ballroom has been converted into a flexible event space. The rear third of the room is partitioned off for seminar and meeting rooms. A 1934 WPA-era mural depicting students, teachers and the Lowell skyline is also being restored along the ballroom’s west wall.
With the addition of a centralized air-conditioning system, energy-efficient LED lighting, occupancy sensors and low-flow plumbing, Coburn Hall is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
“The fact that you took a building that’s over 100 years old and made it LEED Silver is not insignificant,” says Adam Baacke, the university's executive director of planning, design and construction.
The architect is
CBT Architects.
