Cramer’s facelift

Students taking classes in Cramer Hall may notice differences around the building, which received some aesthetic and practical improvements.

Construction began on the building in 1955 and was finally completed in 1970, after three phases of construction, according to Portland State’s Facilities and Planning Web site. However, building codes fifty years ago were very different than current codes to which the school must adhere. In spring 2009, work began to transform some old classrooms and structures.

Located on the Park Blocks between Lincoln Hall and Smith Memorial Student Union, Cramer Hall houses the anthropology, economics, history, psychology, geography and geology departments. It is also home to administrative offices like the President’s Office and the Provost’s Office.

“In general all of the construction went well. Construction work in an occupied building is always difficult but all of the contractors, PSU staff and users worked well together to make this work happen,” said Francis McBride of Portland State’s Facilities and Planning department and construction project manager for the site.

Despite crews having to work in the building while students occupied it, construction was completed during fall term of 2009.

“In general, the reactions have been very positive both from staff and students. During construction there were disruptions to everyone’s daily activities but most people understood the need to complete the work and were very patient with the disruptions,” McBride said.

Improvements to the first and third floor corridors include the replacement of some ceilings and lights, as well as the installation of new small-seating alcoves for students.

“We had limited funds so we opted to do the most publicly accessed floors,” McBride said, referring to the $675,000 spent reconstructing these floors.

Eight classrooms were also included in the upgrade. They received lighting, audio and visual upgrades. Four new classrooms were created out of space formerly used as staff office space, according to McBride.

Every floor of the building received two refreshed restrooms, which are now fully compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, according to McBride. The restroom updates for the building cost a total of $233,000, which was paid for by State Economic Stimulus Funding.

An aging and leaking roof was also replaced. The old roof membrane was removed and replaced with a new membrane in addition to new insulation. During this time, the northeast quadrant of the roof was designed to accommodate solar panels, the installation of which will begin as soon as funding is available for the project.

“Facilities and Planning is committed to integrating sustainability into every project possible and was able to lay the foundation for solar panels to be installed on the roof of Cramer, which will aid in the reduction of PSU’s energy use,” said Hannah Fisher Arfer, a Facilities and Planning representative.

The sprinkler system in Cramer Hall was also updated.

“When the building was built it was required to have a sprinkler system in only the basement and subbasement levels,” McBride said.

A new sprinkler riser system was installed that will allow for sprinklers to be added on more floors as funds become available. Unfortunately, due to cost, sprinklers were only added to the first and third floor corridors since there was already work underway in those locations.

The sky bridges, first built in the 1970s, were strengthened.

“[The sky bridges] met all codes at the time of construction but since that time we have learned so much more about how structures react in an earthquake. Essentially we did some upgrades to strengthen the sky bridges so that they would be able to better withstand a seismic event,” McBride said.