New renovations have been set into motion at Kent State University at Stark, paving the way for an additional elevator and stairwell in the campus’s Main Hall. 

Following the regional campus’s Master Plan, Main Hall will receive a $1.6 million addition on the south side of the building, which will house a new elevator and stairwell. It will also serve as a second main entrance for students and faculty.

“We need another elevator,” said Brian Gardner, the senior facility manager for the Stark campus. “It will make our lives a little easier.”

The new addition to the building will not affect classroom space and will also provide an additional entry to faculty offices located on the fourth floor.

The addition will also set the stage for a new greenspace located just outside Main Hall and will assist in the future rerouting of Loop Road.

“Our goal was not to affect the daily operations,” Gardner said. “The elevator will better serve students with [Americans with Disabilities Act] needs and will make it easier to get to a desired location.”

Main Hall is also undergoing a $350,000 renovation to its current elevator, which has been in operation since the building’s completion in 1967, which includes updates to the control system and a new lift motor.

With the updates to the building’s current elevator underway, the nine-month construction project for Main Hall’s addition is scheduled to begin in April 2019 and conclude in December 2019.

Michael Damron is the administrative reporter. Contact him at [email protected].