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December 2024 News Perspective Online

Pardon Our Dust

$3 Million Restoration Project Underway for Four Perkins Buildings

If you visited the Perkins campus this fall, likely you’ve encountered the sounds of remodeling and renovation.

Four key buildings — Perkins Chapel, Kirby Hall, Selecman Hall, and Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall — are undergoing a $3 million building restoration project to address moisture issues and necessary maintenance to the building’s exteriors. SMU is covering the cost of the project.

The construction work, begun in August 2024, has involved scaffolding, dumpsters, fence enclosures, construction cranes, and partial closures to adjacent sidewalks.

“As one might imagine, there has been much noise from the project fluctuating in intensity based on the work being done,” said Pam Goolsby, Manager of Facility Events in the Office of the Dean at Perkins. “All of this has taken place without altering the daily activities in these buildings including weddings scheduled in Perkins Chapel.”

Work crews are replacing the slate and flat roofs for both Perkins Chapel, built in 1951, and Kirby Hall, built in 1950. The dormers, windows, and doors are getting repainted in both buildings.

Repairs are also being made to broken and damaged shingles on the roofs of Selecman Hall, built in 1953, and Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, built in 2009. The exterior brick for all four buildings is being cleaned and sealed, among other repairs.

The project is on track to be completed by January 2, 2025.