Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Member of design team and facilitator to transform an historic 1859 chapel into wholly owned student center.
In an unprecedented architect selection process, students of Williams College comprised the majority vote on the building committee. These students gave their overwhelming support for our team based strongly on the participatory process that would form the basis for a clear design intent. This established a trust for the client relationship at the start and ultimately resulted in completely new spaces within the Gothic Revival style limestone chapel.
These new spaces include a flexible great hall for concerts, guest speakers, and lectures complete with stage, theater lighting, and full audio/visual equipment. The great hall also serves as the student-run, campus coffee house. The open mezzanine level provides excellent views of the stage during performances and offers cozy “banquette” style seating for studying and small group conversation.
The historic structure was brought into complete ADA compliance with accessible restrooms and a new copper-clad elevator shaft situated on the building's exterior that ingeniously serves as the to link the adjoining athletic facility as well.
Scope of project: Transformation of an historic Gothic Limestone,
Church of 1859 into an up-to-date Student Center
Scale of project: n/a
Construction cost: $1.7M
Completion date: 1997
Image credits: Library of Congress, Peter Vanderwarker/Bruner Cott, Williams College
NOTE: Work by Rossi completed while with another firm.