Renovated Umrath Hall Opens
Dublin Core
Title
Renovated Umrath Hall Opens
Subject
Umrath Hall, video, 2010s
Description
A video showcasing a recently renovated Umrath Hall, interviews with relevant project leaders, and footage of the process and product.
Creator
WUSTL Video Services
Source
WashU via YouTube
Publisher
Washington University in St. Louis
Date
2012-10-01
Contributor
Producer: Clark Bowen
Rights
In Copyright: https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
YouTube Video
Language
eng
Type
Moving Image
Identifier
Videos.001
Coverage
Washington University in St. Louis; 2010s
Moving Image Item Type Metadata
Transcription
0:00
[Music]
0:11
umrath is a very important part of our
0:14
history it's one of the original cop and
0:16
Stewarts and
0:18
buildings um it forms a very important
0:22
Ensemble along particularly with graham
0:25
Chapel umrath is not only the building
0:28
it's the shape that it creates it's a
0:30
space that it creates balls Plaza so
0:31
it's u-shaped and The Outdoor Room
0:33
created is as important as the building
0:35
itself so we wouldn't want to fill up
0:37
that site with a building because that
0:39
space is very important to the campus so
0:41
I think the limits of the capacity of
0:43
that site were pretty well maxed out in
0:46
the current plan the challenge we began
0:48
to deal with a couple of years ago is
0:50
what were our options you have a
0:52
building that's an important part of art
0:54
tradition that is beautiful that was
0:57
designed by copen stewartson who
0:59
designed the early buildings of the
1:01
University that has great iconic value
1:05
to campus and we investigated a number
1:07
of options and the option that became
1:10
clear is if you wanted to make this a
1:12
modern functional building you had to do
1:14
a dramatic rehap it was originally a
1:18
dormatory and to be able to change a use
1:21
of a building like that was particularly
1:25
complicated because we're essentially
1:28
changing the entire use use of it so the
1:32
only way to solve this problem was to
1:34
remove the entire roof and its structure
1:37
and rebuild the interior walls and
1:41
Floors increasing the floor to floor
1:44
Heights to give the kind of space that
1:45
you need for appropriate academic use
1:49
this was particularly challenging
1:50
because there were fireplaces and stairs
1:52
and it was very broken up if you
1:54
remember umrath was very complicated and
1:56
very disorienting and not accessible so
2:00
it was more challenging than some of the
2:01
other buildings and I think um we
2:06
pressed for what is the best way to make
2:08
it as flexible in the future as possible
2:10
it was a different approach from what
2:13
we've done in other historic buildings
2:14
on the campus but fitting for its
2:16
location on the campus very skinny
2:18
footprint so there wasn't a lot you
2:19
could do with it compared to say a a
2:22
Brookings which was very clear with a
2:23
central hallway and wide offices this
2:25
was a more of a challenge and required
2:28
more of a creative solution there's
2:30
nothing more uh special to me
2:34
particularly as an architect to have the
2:36
opportunity to come back to the
2:38
institution that has given me so much
2:42
and be able to make a contribution
2:44
particularly in an area of historic
2:47
preservation where it's something that's
2:49
near and dear to my
2:50
heart as an architecture student and The
2:53
Graduate School I really did not have
2:56
occasion to use the building I do recall
2:59
however
3:00
how beautiful and historic a building
3:03
umrath Hall was I also remember quite
3:06
vividly how tight the spaces were on the
3:09
interior there was not much light the
3:12
spaces were small and the building was
3:14
really uncomfortable when we got
3:16
involved with the project we realized
3:19
that it was uh going to take a lot of
3:22
careful scheduling with all of our
3:24
subcontractors with the owner with the
3:26
Architects a building of this magnitude
3:29
that design and the construction usually
3:31
takes about 22 to 24 months to complete
3:34
on this one we completed the design and
3:36
the construction of it in about 14 and
3:38
1/2 months so uh we got the schedule
3:41
done a lot sooner than you typically
3:43
would we started working a second shift
3:46
early on the project and we worked that
3:48
second shift for about 3 or 4 months at
3:50
the beginning to help out with that
3:52
schedule another challenge was just the
3:54
logistics of getting in and out of
3:56
Campus considering umrath Hall is pretty
4:00
much in the center of campus and we
4:02
concluded that we could we needed to
4:05
have our Del deliveries in and out every
4:07
day by 9 a.m. so that took a lot of
4:09
coordination between us and our
4:11
subcontractors and the reason we did
4:13
that because we we didn't want to
4:15
conflict too much with classes during
4:17
the
4:18
day since we basically built a steel
4:21
building inside a masonary Granite
4:23
building we had to use a lot of
4:27
Steel and uh there was a total of 450
4:30
tons of steel that had to be brought in
4:33
specially manufactured to go in and
4:35
retrofit inside this
4:38
building when you tied all these new
4:41
steel beams into the exterior walls we
4:44
used a total of 10,000 anchor bolts to
4:47
go into the wall and U every one of
4:50
those anchor bolts had to be pull tested
4:52
to make sure it was structurally sound
4:54
the cost of doing this is roughly what
4:58
it would cost to build a new building of
5:00
that size per square foot perhaps a bit
5:03
less but what you will get in terms of
5:05
the character of the building is far far
5:10
greater because it gives us the best of
5:12
both worlds it gives us a building that
5:14
reflects Our Heritage it gives us a
5:17
building that's part of a fabulous
5:20
Ensemble of turn of the century
5:23
architecture that's the turn of the last
5:26
century not the turn of this century and
5:28
it gives us a full Modern Building
5:31
inside down the newly renovated amrath
5:33
Hall is now prepared for another Century
5:36
of importance in academic programs at
5:38
Washington University in fact I think
5:40
the next 100 years are going to be even
5:43
better in particular for that that
5:45
special space we have our John C Dan for
5:49
Center on religion and politics American
5:52
politics will be very important forever
5:55
and this represents a brand new
5:57
undertaking in the early part of this
6:00
21st century we're fortunate to have had
6:03
the support for that important program
6:06
but in addition umrath Hall will house
6:09
the classics an enduring part of our
6:12
program in Arts and Sciences the
6:15
humanity Center will be housed there and
6:17
we're fortunate to have such great
6:19
facilities attractive exteriors but
6:22
exciting work going on inside with some
6:25
of the most talented students and
6:27
faculty in the world
6:33
[Music]
[Music]
0:11
umrath is a very important part of our
0:14
history it's one of the original cop and
0:16
Stewarts and
0:18
buildings um it forms a very important
0:22
Ensemble along particularly with graham
0:25
Chapel umrath is not only the building
0:28
it's the shape that it creates it's a
0:30
space that it creates balls Plaza so
0:31
it's u-shaped and The Outdoor Room
0:33
created is as important as the building
0:35
itself so we wouldn't want to fill up
0:37
that site with a building because that
0:39
space is very important to the campus so
0:41
I think the limits of the capacity of
0:43
that site were pretty well maxed out in
0:46
the current plan the challenge we began
0:48
to deal with a couple of years ago is
0:50
what were our options you have a
0:52
building that's an important part of art
0:54
tradition that is beautiful that was
0:57
designed by copen stewartson who
0:59
designed the early buildings of the
1:01
University that has great iconic value
1:05
to campus and we investigated a number
1:07
of options and the option that became
1:10
clear is if you wanted to make this a
1:12
modern functional building you had to do
1:14
a dramatic rehap it was originally a
1:18
dormatory and to be able to change a use
1:21
of a building like that was particularly
1:25
complicated because we're essentially
1:28
changing the entire use use of it so the
1:32
only way to solve this problem was to
1:34
remove the entire roof and its structure
1:37
and rebuild the interior walls and
1:41
Floors increasing the floor to floor
1:44
Heights to give the kind of space that
1:45
you need for appropriate academic use
1:49
this was particularly challenging
1:50
because there were fireplaces and stairs
1:52
and it was very broken up if you
1:54
remember umrath was very complicated and
1:56
very disorienting and not accessible so
2:00
it was more challenging than some of the
2:01
other buildings and I think um we
2:06
pressed for what is the best way to make
2:08
it as flexible in the future as possible
2:10
it was a different approach from what
2:13
we've done in other historic buildings
2:14
on the campus but fitting for its
2:16
location on the campus very skinny
2:18
footprint so there wasn't a lot you
2:19
could do with it compared to say a a
2:22
Brookings which was very clear with a
2:23
central hallway and wide offices this
2:25
was a more of a challenge and required
2:28
more of a creative solution there's
2:30
nothing more uh special to me
2:34
particularly as an architect to have the
2:36
opportunity to come back to the
2:38
institution that has given me so much
2:42
and be able to make a contribution
2:44
particularly in an area of historic
2:47
preservation where it's something that's
2:49
near and dear to my
2:50
heart as an architecture student and The
2:53
Graduate School I really did not have
2:56
occasion to use the building I do recall
2:59
however
3:00
how beautiful and historic a building
3:03
umrath Hall was I also remember quite
3:06
vividly how tight the spaces were on the
3:09
interior there was not much light the
3:12
spaces were small and the building was
3:14
really uncomfortable when we got
3:16
involved with the project we realized
3:19
that it was uh going to take a lot of
3:22
careful scheduling with all of our
3:24
subcontractors with the owner with the
3:26
Architects a building of this magnitude
3:29
that design and the construction usually
3:31
takes about 22 to 24 months to complete
3:34
on this one we completed the design and
3:36
the construction of it in about 14 and
3:38
1/2 months so uh we got the schedule
3:41
done a lot sooner than you typically
3:43
would we started working a second shift
3:46
early on the project and we worked that
3:48
second shift for about 3 or 4 months at
3:50
the beginning to help out with that
3:52
schedule another challenge was just the
3:54
logistics of getting in and out of
3:56
Campus considering umrath Hall is pretty
4:00
much in the center of campus and we
4:02
concluded that we could we needed to
4:05
have our Del deliveries in and out every
4:07
day by 9 a.m. so that took a lot of
4:09
coordination between us and our
4:11
subcontractors and the reason we did
4:13
that because we we didn't want to
4:15
conflict too much with classes during
4:17
the
4:18
day since we basically built a steel
4:21
building inside a masonary Granite
4:23
building we had to use a lot of
4:27
Steel and uh there was a total of 450
4:30
tons of steel that had to be brought in
4:33
specially manufactured to go in and
4:35
retrofit inside this
4:38
building when you tied all these new
4:41
steel beams into the exterior walls we
4:44
used a total of 10,000 anchor bolts to
4:47
go into the wall and U every one of
4:50
those anchor bolts had to be pull tested
4:52
to make sure it was structurally sound
4:54
the cost of doing this is roughly what
4:58
it would cost to build a new building of
5:00
that size per square foot perhaps a bit
5:03
less but what you will get in terms of
5:05
the character of the building is far far
5:10
greater because it gives us the best of
5:12
both worlds it gives us a building that
5:14
reflects Our Heritage it gives us a
5:17
building that's part of a fabulous
5:20
Ensemble of turn of the century
5:23
architecture that's the turn of the last
5:26
century not the turn of this century and
5:28
it gives us a full Modern Building
5:31
inside down the newly renovated amrath
5:33
Hall is now prepared for another Century
5:36
of importance in academic programs at
5:38
Washington University in fact I think
5:40
the next 100 years are going to be even
5:43
better in particular for that that
5:45
special space we have our John C Dan for
5:49
Center on religion and politics American
5:52
politics will be very important forever
5:55
and this represents a brand new
5:57
undertaking in the early part of this
6:00
21st century we're fortunate to have had
6:03
the support for that important program
6:06
but in addition umrath Hall will house
6:09
the classics an enduring part of our
6:12
program in Arts and Sciences the
6:15
humanity Center will be housed there and
6:17
we're fortunate to have such great
6:19
facilities attractive exteriors but
6:22
exciting work going on inside with some
6:25
of the most talented students and
6:27
faculty in the world
6:33
[Music]
Original Format
Video
Duration
6:48
Producer
Clark Bowen
Collection
Citation
WUSTL Video Services, “Renovated Umrath Hall Opens,” Introduction to DH Fall 2025, accessed October 17, 2026, https://lucascaswell.publish.library.wustl.edu/items/show/2.