The next project in Penn State’s extensive College of Engineering master plan will involve major renovations to a historic core campus building and demolition of a little-loved eyesore.
Penn State recently submitted a preliminary land development plan to State College Borough for renovations and additions to the Sackett Building, located along Pattee Mall. The project will involve a complete overhaul to the interior of the original 93-year-old building and demolition and replacement of its 1957 additions.
It will also include the long-desired demolition the Hammond Building along West College Avenue, as well as Kunkle Lounge and Engineering Units A,B and C.
The project marks the next phase of a long-term plan unveiled in 2019 to transform the facilities and footprint of the school’s largest academic program. The first phase of the College of Engineering Master Plan constructed the West 1 and West 2 buildings on University Park’s West Campus.
Shep Hoehling, of project engineer Pennoni, and Melissa Clark, of architect KieranTimberlake, presented an overview of the preliminary land development plan for the Sackett project to State College Planning Commission on Wednesday.
The goals of the project, Clark said, include establishing Sackett as an engineering “head house” that makes the College of Engineering administration an open resource and that showcases the work and people of the college. It’s intended to be an accessible student hub and to have flexible, state-of-the-art instructional space.
The renovations and additions will be designed to achieve LEED certification as a high-performance building, provide flexibility and upgraded utilities for future building projects in the area and “reinstate the historical status of Sackett as a freestanding building on Pattee Mall,” Clark said.
While the exterior of the original four-story building will be restored through repointing, cleaning and new roofing, the interior will be gutted and fully renovated. The new north and south wings will complement the historic Sackett and will be more in line with the scale and aesthetic of original architect Charles Klauder’s concept design for the Georgian Revival building.
The basement level will include “Knowledge Commons” space for student lounges and collaboration areas along with classrooms and support spaces. The mezzanine level will have additional public areas and administrative spaces.
Classrooms and more Knowledge Commons spaces are included on the first level, while levels two and three will be designated for college administration, with open work stations, private offices, huddle spaces and conference rooms.
The existing partial-story fourth level will be redeveloped as a full story.
A new elevator and central stairs will be added.
ADA accessible entrances will be created at the north and south wings. The historic stair entrance on the mall side will remain, and what is currently the rear of the building will become another main entrance, Clark said.
The additions are being designed with masonry and stone exteriors and will be set back from the original building.
“The two additions are respectful to the historic Sackett,” Clark said. “…We will be pushing back the additions to let Sackett come forward… The materials are complementary but differentiated, per the secretary of interior standard which takes precedence on a historic structure in a historic district.”
Plans are being submitted to the state Historic Preservation Office for review, Clark added.
Removal of the Hammond Building, Kunkle Lounge and Engineer Units will significantly decrease impervious coverage and increase open space, Hoehling said. The gross floor area in the project zone will decrease from 351,500 to 78,700 square feet and open space will increase from 1.10 acres, or 20% of the area to 3.26 acres (59%)
Clark noted that the master plan calls for two new engineering buildings — identified as Core 1 and Core 2 — in the future, but the open areas will be fully landscaped in the interim.
“We, as part of this project, are planning for a temporary landscape that is not so temporary,” Clark said. “…It includes paths, landscaping. It is not a gravel lot. It is a fully planned out area until the university determines that next stage of the College of Engineering master plan.”
The design will also include accessible pathways from the College Avenue side more directly leading to the west side of Sackett to the area of the Alumni Garden, Spearly’s Walk and Obelisk. Clark noted that currently the only accessible path is to go up the mall and loop around.
The lawn, which is still in design development, will be an open, informal seating area.
“That’s meant to open that up towards College Avenue [and] to bring to bring folks from College Avenue on an accessible path all the way up,” past the west side of Sackett, Clark said.
Planning Commission Chair Zoe Boniface said she was looking forward to Hammond finally being removed and the plans for the site.
I am very glad to hear that Hammond is finally coming down,” Boniface said. “It’s been pending for a very long time. [The building] comes from a time when the university seemed to want a fortress between themselves and the rest of the community. I like very much that it’s being replaced by an open space that invites the community. Very different message.”
The university expects to submit a final land development plan in November, Hoehling said. Construction would begin in 2024 and be completed in 2027.
The anticipated budget for the project is $80 million, according to a 2022 request for proposals.
