The artwork is more visible thanks to a new lighting system. "The old lighting system was an inefficient neon tube; the new system features fluorescent lighting designed to give even light across the entire dome," says Kuntz.
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| Over four thousand people flowed through the reopened doors of Ruffner Hall and into the Rotunda on self-guided tours. |
The dome also features a decorative plaster "rope" molding finished in gold leaf. The molding profiles were taken from the castings of the salvaged original. "You had this same appearance before," says Kuntz. "The trompe-l'oeil (pronounced trump loy and French for "deceive the eye" ) painting between the rope mold and the cornice above was bronze paint that over the years, due to benign neglect, had turned green and brown. Over time it appeared that the original colors were obscured by dirt and aging. Again, we're trying to return to the original design intent. This type of gold leaf was common in ceiling art from this period."
Quite a few alumni, faculty and staff, local residents and other friends of Longwood have a personal connection to
the new dome. While the 23-ton, octagonal framework
of the dome rested just in front of the building, more than 800 well-wishers signed its 86 trusses over two days before
it was hoisted into place in a "Topping Off" ceremony in September 2003. A U.S. flag - the same one that flew atop Ruffner before the fire - and, below it, a Longwood flag were raised on a special flagpole welded to the structure. Both flags were raised by Dr. Brian Bates, an anthropology professor and alumnus ('92) who fought the fire as a
member of the Toga Volunteer Fire Department in Buckingham County.
The new Ruffner Hall has an array of technology improvements and amenities, among them a "sympodium" in each classroom, an observation lab in the psychology area, an archaeology lab, two plasma screens on each floor, nearly 20 miles of cable, 595 data outlets and wireless connectivity throughout the building. A sympodium, which can be mounted on the instructor's desktop, is an interactive pen display that works as a computer monitor. The observation lab, equipped with four cameras, can be displayed live to an adjacent classroom and recorded onto DVD. The plasma screens, near the elevator on the east and west side of each floor, will run announcements about student life.
Kuntz says he strove to "maintain the exterior 'character'
of the building" and also to "carefully preserve the historic appearance of the interior Rotunda space." His task was complicated by having to use contemporary materials and incorporate the latest fire-safety, mechanical and electrical systems.
"For example, the windows were designed to maintain the historic profiles of the trims and sash," he says. "The wood windows are clad in aluminum with custom extrusions designed to closely replicate the original details. Balustrades and cornices were fabricated from fiberglass-reinforced plastic resins to replicate the details of the original designs but are not subject to the rot and deterioration that plagued the original construction.
"The original building was constructed of wood frame and masonry-bearing walls, and the renovations were planned to re-use the existing perimeter masonry walls. The new construction, however, is a steel frame building with concrete floors. The new exterior masonry walls are infill panels in the steel frame. The original Ruffner stairs, again, were wood frame. The new Rotunda stairs are concrete with wood cladding to replicate the original appearance but provide greater structural integrity, fire safety and longevity. Also, the columns in front of the Rotunda are now structural steel columns clad with wood columns to match the original design. These were supplied by the same manufacturer that fabricated the original columns.
"Unlike the reconstruction of Grainger, where the height of each floor was modified slightly to accommodate the mechanical and electrical systems in the ceilings, the design in Ruffner maintained the original floor-to-floor heights in an effort to preserve the original scale and details. Also, the building's location is within inches of the original location."
Ruffner Hall's rededication is the final step in Longwood's recovery from what became known as the Great Fire of 2001, which broke out at about 9:20 on a Tuesday evening. The other major reconstruction involved Grainger Hall, which survived the fire but had to be razed later that year due to extensive smoke and water damage. It was also rebuilt to closely resemble its predecessor, opening in August 2003. Both Ruffner and Grainger Halls were built by English Construction Company of Lynchburg. In the interest of fire safety, Ruffner Hall's west wing no longer connects to Grainger.
Main Tabb and South Ruffner Residence Halls, which suffered smoke and water damage in the fire, underwent a $2 million renovation. South Ruffner was open in the fall of 2001; Main Tabb, the only residence hall forced to close during an academic year, reopened in January 2002.
"With the renovation project, about 20 percent of the work, consisting mostly of demolition and removal, had been completed prior to the fire," Kuntz says. "Generally the new construction work had not yet commenced on the renovation. Since most of the finishes had been removed, Ruffner was essentially an open skeletal box at the time of the fire. This condition, with a skeleton of exposed old and dry wood framing within the perimeter masonry enclosure, contributed to the conditions, that permitted the rapid spread of the fire. The new construction with steel frame and concrete floors is significantly more fire-resistant. The result is a stronger and quieter structure."
Ruffner Hall will house the departments of History, Political Science and Philosophy; Mathematics and Computer Science; Sociology and Anthropology and Criminal Justice Studies; and Psychology. The hall has 22 classrooms and 63 faculty and 28 administrative offices.
"While many of the building's systems and components changed radically, the original scale and details have been faithfully preserved," says Kuntz. "Although this approach to historic preservation design was complicated, it was an interesting challenge to solve the variety of puzzles. It's an exciting process and provided a unique and interesting opportunity. We hope visitors and alumni will be pleased with the attention to details."