National Honors Continue For Jamie Wolf - Clarion University

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Clarion University To Renovate Becht Hall
C
larion University’s Becht Hall is receiving
a 100 th birthday present, a $14.3 million
renovation.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recently
approved and Governor Ed Rendell has signed the
awarding of a Department of General Services grant
for the renovation of the century old building.
“We are in the design phase of the project to
turn Becht Hall into the ‘Student Success Center,’”
said Paul Bylaska, vice president for finance and
administration at Clarion University. “The renovation
will allow for moving every student service into that
building. The question now is how to configure the
building to meet the needs.”
The student services projected to call the Student
Success Center home include: registration, admissions,
financial aid, student billing, career services, housing,
orientation, counseling and health services, academic
enrichment, disability support services, student
identification cards, student orientation, student meal
plans, and parking permits. The Honors Program and
International Programs will continue to be housed in
the new center and the possibility of adding a research
and graduate studies office is being examined.
Becht Hall currently serves as a women’s
residence hall and the location of several university
programs and faculty offices. That means the
renovation will not begin until two new residence
suites buildings currently under construction are
completed. Projected to open in 2009, the residence
halls are being constructed on the Ralston flats area,
located above Becht Hall.
“This is the culmination of an idea from
the Clarion University Master Plan, calling for
the centralization of student residences, student
services, and faculty near the center of campus,” said
Bylaska. “These changes will decrease the amount of
automobile traffic in the middle of campus.”
Becht Hall, originally called Navarre Hall after a
region of the same name in Spain, was built in 1908
under the leadership of Clarion University President J.
George Becht. Utilizing a California Mission Revival
style of architecture, the building is a striking contrast
to the “normal-looking” buildings surrounding it.
“We will be preserving some of the historical
aspects of Becht Hall,” said Bylaska. “Its mission
architecture is unique east of the Mississippi River.”
Its pantile roof, Spanish gables, and light-colored
brick are probably similar to the elements of Spanish
architecture, which inspired architects Allison and
Allison of Pittsburgh to design the building. The
bracketing under the eaves and the sash windows,
with their three or four narrow upper panes, reflect
the early 20 th Century “Arts and Crafts” style. James
and David Allison were also the architects of the first
campus of UCLA in 1910.
When it opened, Navarre Hall housed 160
women on the third and fourth floors, a student
infirmary and teacher’s rooms on the other floors, and
a dining hall. It was renamed following Becht’s death
in 1925. During World War II, Becht Hall helped
19 co-eds find their mates as 300 cadets of the Army
Air Corps stayed in the facility during training on
campus.
In 1971, Becht was decommissioned as a
residence hall when Nair and Wilkinson Halls were
completed. Its dining hall had passed away in 1966
when Chandler Dining Hall was opened and the
infirmary moved to Keeling Health Center.
The planned destruction prompted a “Bye-
Bye Becht Bash” from students, but the building
remained and eventually housed 165 students. In
1985-86, Becht was saved for the foreseeable future
from destruction and the hall was refurbished. It was
renovated in 1994, and the red tile roof and light
bricks were repainted and repaired. Those renovations
helped conserve heat and energy.
04 | April ’08