Sever Hall restoration completed

Sever Hall, a National Historic Landmark widely regarded as an architectural gem, has emerged radiant and refreshed from its three-month restoration and remodeling. The façade of the 1880 building, designed by master architect Henry Hobson Richardson, was painstakingly preserved with upgrades to bricks, mortar, brownstone, terra-cotta roof tiles, and windows. Inside the building, the fourth and fifth floors have been opened up to create new space for the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, including the film program. The new space, designed by Kennedy & Violich Architecture, includes a dramatic two-story atrium, three screening rooms, a computer lab, an animation studio, a new video and film book library, video viewing stations, the Film Studies Center, a seminar room, and faculty and staff offices. At right, Ruth Lingford, visiting lecturer on visual and environmental studies, leads an animation class in Sever’s newly renovated fourth floor. – Steve BradtInside Sever Hall, the fourth and fifth (above) floors have been opened up to create new space for the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, including the film program.