19 May 2016 Renovations complete on UCA’s McCastlain

by Donna Lampkin Stephens

The completion of a dazzling renovation and restoration of McCastlain Hall continues the University of Central Arkansas’s efforts to preserve its historic buildings.

Grants totaling more than $1.2 million from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC), in addition to more than $500,000 in matching money from UCA, will make McCastlain, built in 1939, “a landmark on the campus and a significant events center,” according to the grant application.

The money has gone toward major renovations of the East Commons (the original dining area), restoration of the popular Fireplace Room and construction of a more accessible Grand Hallway between the East Commons and the Baum Gallery of Fine Art.

“We appreciate the support of the ANCRC,” said UCA President Tom Courtway. “With this latest grant, we’ve received more than $1.7 million to continue the renovation and restoration of a couple of the original buildings on the UCA campus. These grant funds from the ANCRC, coupled with funds we’ve set aside for the restoration work, will ensure that these historic buildings are used for many years to come.”

Other recent ANCRC grants at UCA have gone for renovations to Old Main Hall, including the Ida Waldran Auditorium.

McCastlain Hall, the campus’ first stand-alone cafeteria, was built with economic stimulus money during the Great Depression. It was where 1,800 Women’s Army Corps members dined while on campus in 1943-44 and hosted former President Jimmy Carter during his visit in 1986.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 18, 2013. It is one of the eight buildings in UCA’s Historic District, which also includes Old Main, Ferguson Chapel, Harrin Hall, McAlister Hall, the President’s Home, Bernard Hall and Wingo Hall.

According to the grant application, the project was sparked by the need for a mid-sized performance/events venue. Both Ida Waldran Auditorium and the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on campus seat more than 1,000; Staples Auditorium at Hendrix College and the Janes H. Clark Auditorium at Conway High School are of similar size.

Conway “has few appropriately-sized venues for more intimate ensemble concerts, wedding receptions or guest lectures,” according to the grant application. “Through the efficient repair and alteration for contemporary use, we intend to increase the accessibility and awareness of McCastlain’s historical, architectural and cultural features.”

The project included improvements to East Commons (also known as the Ballroom), including a 1930s-styled coffered ceiling that improves acoustics; a technology upgrade; new lighting that preserves the historic look; the restoration of pine paneling to the architect’s original design; restoration of the Fireplace Room’s twin fireplaces with flanking mill work, double doors, original plaster ceiling and pine paneling; a renovation of the food service room to help workers coordinate meals for up to 400 people; a service elevator; renovated coat room; new audio/visual green room; restoration of the exterior entrance railing leading to the replication of the original front door and transom; construction of the Grand Hallway, which will allow easy access between the east entrance and East Commons to the west entrance and Baum Gallery; and restroom renovations.

Offices for the College of Fine Arts and Communication (CFAC) dean’s office have also relocated to McCastlain. Terry Wright, dean, said the building had been “gorgeously restored.”

“It’s very exciting for the dean’s office to be in the heart of campus since our programs are spread out from one end of the campus to the other,” he said. “The venues will open for more active events, not only in CFAC but across the campus and for interdisciplinary events in the Baum Gallery and the Ballroom.”

Dr. Gayle Seymour, associate dean of CFAC, and K.C. Poole, interior design instructor, co-wrote the grants. Randy Stocks and Melissa Rodgers of Stocks-Mann Architects, PLC, were the architectural consultants.

“I’m so pleased with the McCastlain renovation,” Seymour said. “I think we were able to retain the original 1939 Art Deco style and update the technology for 21st-century audiences. It’s going to be a lovely events center for the campus and community.”

According to the grant application, the most recent previous renovations to the building were in 1999, when the remainder of the West Commons became an art lecture hall serving the Department of Art and the Baum Gallery. The offices of Purchasing, Registrar and Cashier then moved to the space that had previously belonged to food service.

The plan for the Grand Hallway undoes “the impromptu maze of small rooms and hallways, created over time, (that) make it difficult for patrons to navigate the building,” according to the grant application. “Our goal is to create an art-filled hallway with generous proportions and seating opportunities that will make the journey through the building as pleasant as the destination rooms.”