Music School, Bluff Street Top Summer Construction Projects
The summer construction season at Duquesne will bring changes to the Mary Pappert School of Music, Bluff Street, the A.J. Palumbo Center and other locations across campus.
One visible project will transform about 5,000 square feet inside the music school into the Dr. Thomas D. Pappert Center for Performance and Innovation. The generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Pappert has provided financial support for the project that will convert Room 322 into a rehearsal/performance space for large ensemble practices.
The area will double as a formal recital hall for small ensembles and soloists, with updated acoustics, new stage lighting, project equipment, surround sound and video and audio recording equipment.
Space adjacent to Room 322 will be renovated for critical listening and high-quality, multi-channel mastering to support the music technology curriculum, a green room for performers appearing on stage and a conductor’s office.
Storage cabinet areas will be converted to storage areas for music education instruments, performance instruments and equipment, and percussion instruments.
Burt Hill is providing architectural and engineering services.
A grand opening dedication ceremony is planned for Saturday, Oct. 2, as part of the University’s Homecoming celebration.
Other projects will include:
Promenade on Bluff Street—The walk on Bluff Street will be upgraded to a brick promenade next to Mellon Hall and on the edge of the Bluff, providing an overlook of the South Side. Work will start this year in the multi-phase project.
A.J. Palumbo Center—New auditorium-style seating will be installed this summer.
Mural on 20 Chatham Square—The home of Service-Learning and the Honors College will be graced with a mural this summer. Gerry Tonti, a former Sprout Fund Muralist and former Duquesne employee with the Center for Advancing the Study of Teaching and Learning, will be the artist of a giant dove. Tonti’s work can be seen around the city, including on Shiloh Street on Mount Washington, at the Second Avenue trailhead and at 416 Bessemer Ave., East Pittsburgh.
Student housing—A multi-year plan to renew student housing, which started last year and is continuing in St. Ann’s and Assumption, will also be under way in Duquesne Towers. This summer, the bathrooms on the top three floors of the Duquesne Towers will be renovated. This first phase of renovation in Towers is expected to be completed over the summer.
Brottier Hall—Concrete and beams in the storage area underneath the parking circle are being replaced. Completion is anticipated in early- to mid-summer.