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Rice University Campus Developments


sttombiz

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I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere aside from a very brief "breaking news" piece on the Thresher's website last week, but it appears that Rice is going to demolish the Media Center and relocate the Visual and Dramatic Arts programs it currently supports to a remodeled Sewall Hall. The piece didn't provide many details, but reading between the lines a bit it sure sounded like the decision was being driven a lot more by the administration than anyone affiliated with VADA, leading one to wonder exactly what (if anything) they plan to do with the land the Media Center currently occupies. 

 

I had a strong suspicion that this day would come sooner rather than later after they razed the Media Center's adjacent twin, the old Art Barn, but this is one time I really wish I'd been wrong. I would put the seemingly-imminent loss of the Media Center and all the history it embodies right up there with the KTRU fire sale, in terms of decisions by this administration that have made me feel somewhat less than proud to be a Rice alum. 

 

Bonus: the Thresher piece was posted literally the day after VADA announced the passing of Gerald O'Grady, the founding director of the Media Center, on its Facebook page. Sic transit gloria mundi.

 

http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/04/media-center-removal

Edited by mkultra25
added hyperlink
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Update with additional information about the pending Media Center demolition:

 

http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/04/impending-rice-media-center-teardown-clouds-vada-future

 

And a new announcement that there are also plans to demolish the Rice Memorial Center (except for the Chapel) and replace it with a new multicultural center and student center:

 

http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/04/new-multicultural-center-to-be-included-in-major-rmc-renovations

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I'm uncomfortably reminded of a scene from "Who's Afraid of VIrginia Woolf?", where George goes on a rant, accusing Nick of using genetic engineering to create a world of ideal men; and that in this world there wouldn't be room for music or painting.
Rice's administration seems to be on board with that future. 

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1 hour ago, Timoric said:

Question: does Rice have an unusually large campus for such a small enrollment? Obviously the stadium is over-kill, but isn't Rice smaller than some Texas high schools and has all these buildings

At 7000+ undergraduate and postgraduate enrollment combined, plus almost 700 academic faculty and 2000+ administrative staff, I’d say Rice is significantly larger than any high school in Texas.  But, compared to other universities at its level, yes, it is on the small side.

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8 hours ago, Timoric said:

Question: does Rice have an unusually large campus for such a small enrollment? Obviously the stadium is over-kill, but isn't Rice smaller than some Texas high schools and has all these buildings

The stadium opened in 1950 and would sell out frequently when it was the only real game in town. In the mid-70's, it sold out several times for UH-A&M games, all 70,000 seats.

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18 hours ago, Ross said:

The stadium opened in 1950 and would sell out frequently when it was the only real game in town. In the mid-70's, it sold out several times for UH-A&M games, all 70,000 seats.

 

Rice was a powerhouse in Southwest Conference football in the 50s, winning two conference championships, something that may be hard to fathom for those whose only frame of reference is the latter-day program.

 

Also, I suspect they sold out the stadium for Super Bowl VIII in 1974:

 

rawImage.jpg 

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17 hours ago, Purdueenginerd said:

Fun Fact: JFKs, "We Choose to go to the moon" Speech was given right in the middle of Rice Stadium  

 

 

 

The head of NASA is visiting campus this afternoon for the dedication of a plaque at the stadium and a "next-generation moon tree" commemorating JFK's speech. Apparently there were several hundred seeds that travelled on the Apollo 14 mission, and the trees that were subsequently grown from those seeds are known as "moon trees". The one they're dedicating today originated as a cutting from one of the original trees. 

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8 hours ago, BeerNut said:

 

Is this a model?

It's a materials mock-up.Typically used to show the client what the final materials will look like, and the quality expected of the subcontractors doing the work.

Edited by jermh
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https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/08/campus-construction-continues-over-summer

 

Construction broke ground on the new building for Sid Richardson College at the end of the summer.  According to Anzilla Gilmore, project manager for New Sid, construction should begin soon, if other construction projects remain on schedule.



 

“The project is expected to start on September 16, but it’s contingent on the completion of the new Will Rice Magister House project,” Gilmore said. 

 

According to Gilmore, issues with hot water and air conditioning in the existing Sid building were partially related to the construction on New Sid.

 

“We installed new chilled water and steam lines to serve new and old Sid Rich,” Gilmore said. “Old Sid was connected to the new lines because the old lines that served old Sid Rich needed to be replaced. Whether we were building the new Sid Rich or not, the lines that serve old Sid Rich would have needed to be replaced.”

 

According to Sid’s website, the New Sid building will have 12 levels, with the commons, magister’s house, admin space and multifunctional rooms on the first and second floors, and residential spaces on the 10 floors above.  Unlike the current Sid building, New Sid will include singles and doubles.

 

Gilmore said that the building should be completed by November 2020.

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On 8/29/2019 at 6:10 AM, Urbannizer said:

The new Sid Richardson replaces this building. Don't hate me Aggies it's part of Sid history.

mNvy7t7.jpg

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21 minutes ago, gclass said:

texas_longhorns.png

^^^ @hindesky why on earth would anyone DARE to "HATE" you?  you're being MUCH to hard on yourself...

I have a nephew who graduated as a Sea Aggie and a niece who is currently a junior at TAMU so I don't dislike the Aggies, except when it comes to football then I'm a UT fan.

Edited by hindesky
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10 hours ago, hindesky said:

The new Sid Richardson replaces this building. Don't hate me Aggies it's part of Sid history.

mNvy7t7.jpg

 

From site plan, looks like this building remains...

 

do we know why it would be torn down? Seems odd that both Rice Andy UH could be taking down their old residential towers instead of renovating...

 

i hope it stays and they renovate it.

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5 hours ago, Avossos said:

 

From site plan, looks like this building remains...

 

do we know why it would be torn down? Seems odd that both Rice Andy UH could be taking down their old residential towers instead of renovating...

 

i hope it stays and they renovate it.

 

They are not currently planning to demolish old Sid - as of the beginning of this year, the thinking was that it would be repurposed as graduate student housing. 

 

New Sid Rich building on track for 2021 completion

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57 minutes ago, Houston19514 said:

Rice University awarded grant for 'mass timber' building on campus

 

"Rice's proposal is for a five-story, 50,000-square-foot student housing building on its campus."

 

The new building at Rice would replace the existing 120-bed wing of Hanszen College. Construction is pending approval by Rice's Board of Trustees and its Buildings and Grounds subcommittee.

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  • The title was changed to Rice Stadium End Zone Replacement
  • The title was changed to Rice University Stadium End Zone Replacement

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