Social Sciences Building, 1969
From CSU's Sense of Place: A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, 2018.
Architects – James M. Hunter and Associates, SLATERPAULL Architects of Denver
Builder - The F. R. Orr Construction Company
1200 Center Avenue Mall
Architect James M. Hunter designed this massive classroom and office building on the sites of the original landmark College Farm Horse and Dairy Barns. It is made up of three wings that house the College of Liberal Arts and includes offices of several of its departments such as Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Journalism and Technical Communication, History, Economics, Sociology, and Political Science in its elevated B-wing and 34 classrooms, laboratories, and offices in its C-wing.
Built at a cost of $5,102,000, work began on B- and C-wings during the summer of 1966. On July 5, 1966, Center Avenue that ran along the west side of the construction site was permanently closed to traffic south to West Pitkin Street. This action began the long process to convert this developing core area of the campus into a pedestrian mall. Phase I of the new Social Sciences Building was completed and opened for the fall quarter 1967.
Phase II, the final portion known as the A-wing, was opened for the fall quarter of 1968. A-wing had two floors of large auditoria built around a central service core and equipped with the latest educational media facilities. Ranging in size from 110 seats to 400 seats, these rooms were called “Learning Center Auditoriums” when the building opened. The opening of this building allowed the closing of the badly aging Old Main Auditorium to classroom use.
In the summer of 1975, the plaza on the south side of the A-wing began its three-decade run of hosting the Outdoor Café Theatre each summer. Students in the Theatre Department selected and performed three plays in evening performances to enthusiastic audiences who enjoyed the “Theatre Under the Stars” on warm Colorado evenings. Seating was at café-style tables that accommodated four people per table. Theatregoers gathered at twilight and enjoyed drinks and snacks before the evening’s performance commenced. The popular and intimate venue was sold-out for each performance.
On May 11, 1977, the Social Sciences Building was rededicated and renamed the “Andrew G. Clark Building”. Dr. Clark spoke at the ceremony. He had worked at the school from 1923 until retiring in 1964.
In the fall of 1992, the “Liberal Arts Lounge” was opened on the south side of the first floor of the A-wing. It is now known as the “Clark Study Lounge”. In the summer of 2006, $95,000 was spent to repaint the exterior of the building in buff and red-brick colors. Beginning that same year and continuing for the next four years, $6 million was spent to upgrade fire alarm systems, elevators, lighting, seating, wall finishes, acoustics, and audiovisual equipment in the A and C wings. SLATERPAULL Architects of Denver designed these changes to modernize the 40-year-old building.
In 2022 the Colorado Legislature approved 38 million dollars to be used on the extension and renovation of the Clark Building. This is the first installment in what is expected to be a three-phase partnership with the state. It is estimated that the transformation will be accomplished at the cost of up to 135 million dollars. Private support is expected to provide 11 to 12 million dollars. CSU has selected Haselden Construction and the Hord Coplan Macht as the design-build firm for the project. The project is under construction.
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