Bright new roof goes up on Miller Hall

A bright copper roof has been going up atop Miller Hall at Western Washington University this week. The building, originally built in the 1940s and then added on to in the 1960s, is undergoing a complete renovation.

The two-phase project is scheduled to take approximately two years and began with the 1960s wing last summer. Occupants from the 1960s wing were moved into the 1940s wing and other temporary spaces around campus. They will return to the renovated spaces at the end of the first construction phase, which is scheduled to be completed in September. Miller Market has been operating out of a trailer in Red Square and will also return to its original, remodeled space in September.

The renovation will provide general university classrooms, computer labs, instructional space, offices and support facilities for Woodring College of Education and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. This renovation will replace numerous aging building systems, provide improved disabled access to classrooms, labs and offices, and provide for reprogramming of academic spaces.

During the second phase, the dean's office and Student Services will be temporarily moved from the 1940s wing into temporary offices in the 1960s wing. These functions will return to the 1940s wing upon project completion sometime in fall quarter 2011.

Miller Hall originated as the "Campus Elementary School" in 1943. It was designed by Bebb and Gould and served as a teacher training school with primary and middle school students. In 1967, the school was closed. An addition was constructed and existing spaces were reconfigured for academic instruction. The facility was renamed "Miller Hall" in honor of Irving E. Miller, a longtime Western faculty member who was nationally recognized for his expertise in teacher education.

For more information on construction projects taking place on campus this summer, check out the interactive, online map from WWU's Facilities Management.