Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1938 [PAGE 834]

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832

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[June 9

the following vote: Aye, Mr. Cleary, Mr. Mayer, Dr. Meyer, Mr. Moschel, Mrs. Plumb, Mr. Pogue; no, none; absent, Mr. Adams, Mrs. Freeman, Mr. Horner, Mr. Karraker, Mr. Wieland.

APPROPRIATION FOR N E W CLASSROOM BUILDING (14) P u r s u a n t to the authorization of the Board at its meeting on February 11, a bill was introduced in the First Special Session of the 60th General Assembly for an appropriation for a building to replace the space lost in University Hall. In the discussions of this building with the Governor (in his office on March 3 and again on March 10 when he visited the University to inspect University H a l l ) he was advised that $750,000 was the estimate of the minimum necessary for a building to replace the space lost in University Hall. On April 13 he was sent a formal memorandum including a brief history of University Hall and the considerations which led to the decision of the Board to raze the building. T h i s memorandum opened with the statement: "The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois has requested the Governor to include in the proclamation calling a special session of the General Assembly an item for an emergency appropriation of $750,000 for a classroom and office building to relieve the conditions created by the abandonment and subsequent razing of University Hall." T h e estimate given the Governor was based on the cost per cubic foot of the Architecture Building, since this is one of our more recent buildings and the building to replace University Hall will be of the same style of architecture and construction. A schedule of the cost estimates, prepared by the Physical Plant Department, was given the Governor on March 3. This schedule shows that the work area in University Hall was 97,300 square feet, or 1,581,525 cubic feet. T h e estimated cost of a building to replace it was arrived at by multiplying this cubage by $.44 (the cost per cubic foot of the Architecture Building as originally calculated by the Physical Plant D e p a r t m e n t ) , resulting in a total of $695,695. This unit cost is too low, as the Physical Plant Department did not include in its calculations the cost of service lines. T h u s the total cost per cubic foot of the Architecture Building was actually $.455 instead of $.44, so that the base figure of the cost of replacement of University Hall should be $719,411 instead of $695,695. However, with the schedule of cost estimates which was given the Governor was a letter from the Director of the Physical Plant Department pointing out that the calculation was made on the assumption that space in the new building would be used to the same extent as in the old, which would make it necessary to use attic and basement areas for classroom purposes instead of for general service and storage, and that if departments are not to be assigned to basement and attic areas $65,000 should be added to the estimate, making a total of $760,000 for the building. Aside from the above considerations, the base figure of $695,695 (or $719,411 as corrected) does not include the entire cost of the building because it has been contemplated that a part of the public areas would be air-conditioned, and this would require an addition of $50,000 or $60,000 to the base estimate. In his proclamation calling a special session of the 60th General Assembly, the Governor included the following item: "Appropriation of not more than $700,000 to replace University Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois." It was not anticipated that he would specify the amount in the call, but in view of this limitation a bill was introduced for an appropriation of $700,000 for this building. This bill was passed by the General Assembly on June 8, and now goes to the Governor for his action. 1

'This bill failed to receive a two-thirds vote in the Senate as required by the State Constitution in the case of supplementary appropriations made at special sessions of the General Assembly. Since the Attorney General expressed doubt of the validity of the original bill, a new bill was introduced on June 14, 1938.