The Denisonian

Issue date: 10/27/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Meghan Swisher Bryant Arts Center is setting the standard for sustainable buildings on campus.

Cleveland Hall, a former gymnasium, was where the "three-sided man [found] encouragement for the exercise of all his powers," cited in a Denisonian article written over 100 years ago. Today, Cleveland Hall is known as Bryant Arts Center, but it is still a place of encouragement and inspiration for all students.



Built in 1904, Cleveland Hall was many things - a men's gym, a women's gym, a student union - before it became Denison's home of studio art, and then, this year, Bryant Arts Center.



The new building is named for Donald L. Bryant, Jr., a trustee at New York City's Museum of Modern Art and member of Denison's class of 1954, who donated $6 million to the $14 million project. Construction began April 2007, and the shiny new Bryant Arts Center was unveiled in August of this year.



Ron Abram, chair of the studio art department and associate professor of studio art, acted as the project shepherd during the lengthy design and construction process; initial plans were drawn up seven years ago. Jack Beyer '64, partner at New York-based architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, was in charge of the design.



Bryant Arts Center is modern and packed with the latest technology, but Denison made it clear that it must retain much of Cleveland Hall's original look and classic architecture.



"We all loved Cleveland Hall. It was a very comfortable building," Abram said, adding that Beyer Blinder Belle "really listened to [them] as individuals and as a group."



In a way, the attitude behind the renovation mirrors Denison's philosophy on art-making: "We want to encourage our students to make progressive, idea-filled work but still appreciate the past," Abram said.



The renovation was like "working on a ship in a bottle," said project superintendent John Archibald.



"We couldn't remove the old floors without constructing the new, or the outer walls could have collapsed," said Scott Walker, Denison's energy and construction manager, elaborating on the daunting construction process.



The 45,000 square-foot building is home to the department of art - both studio art and art history - and has studios for ceramics, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and digital media. There are also gallery spaces, electronic classrooms, outdoor performance areas and studio space for seniors and professors.

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