Carleton College is re-roofing the 1910 building at the former middle school. The roof is in poor condition and is leaking. We need to perform this work to protect the structure and this wonderful building.

The entire building will have scaffolding placed around it. This work started August 10. They will begin tearing off of the existing roof Wedensday, August 12. A dumpster will be placed on the south east corner of the site. The contractor will use a chute to remove materials from the roof and to place into the dumpster. This will minimize the amount of dust at the site. The dumpster will have a tarp placed over it each night to prevent materials from blowing out. A crane will visit the site for a few days early in the project to place materials on top of the scaffolding.  Gutters are being replaced as part of this project as well. Work is scheduled to be complete prior to Defeat of Jesse James Days.

The contractor is Berwald Roofing out of St. Paul and they expect to have 5-8 people on site performing the work. They have been instructed to park at the middle school lot on the east side of the site adjacent to Central Park.

We are also in the process of scheduling a limited amount masonry repairs that we believe are becoming critical to prevent additional decay to the building. Most of this work is located at the northwest corner of the site associated with the 1934 Auditorium entrance. McGough is the contractor who will be performing this work and we will post the schedule once it is developed.

Carleton College recently published the results of a special Neighborhood Impact Study (NIS), launched as part of the College’s ongoing planning for its new Arts Union. The study solicitated and encouraged public input regarding the project, and its potential impact on the neighborhood surrounding the campus. The effort reflects Carleton’s desire to maintain open lines of communication between the College and its neighbors, ensuring that the project is a success for the College as well as the Northfield community.

The Arts Union’s English common room will bring together students and faculty members for literary reflection and conversation.

Designed to encourage flexible thinking and intellectual risk taking, plans for the new Arts Union capture the imagination

The Arts Union’s centralized technology resource center will give students and faculty members the tools they need to work creatively with visual media and materials.

An open letter to the Carleton College community from the co-chairs of the Arts Union Advisory Committee on revising the Arts Union construction timeline in light of the current financial market uncertainty.

Work continues on the design of the Arts Union, Carleton’s spectacular new facility on the site of the old Northfield Middle School. The project’s architects have proposed a design that ties the building to the other portions of the Middle School, relates to the campus as a whole, and is sensitive to its placement next to Central Park. Current renderings of the exterior have been posted on the Arts Union web site and public comments are welcome through our online feedback form.

As the College’s director for the arts, Steve Richardson ’86 is charged with bringing the arts to the forefront of a Carleton education.

One of Carleton’s newest faces is Steve Richardson, Director of the Arts. A 1986 graduate of Carleton, Steve returned to his alma mater this fall after a hugely successful run at Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis. In a recent interview, Steve shared his vision for the Arts Union and its place in the Northfield community.

The Arts Union project has been in the planning stages for some time, but as a result of its complexity and scale is still some time away from construction. The design team led by Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle Architects completed the schematic design in January. The project will have multiple phases and the schematic design process has identified which parts of the new facility and building site will be developed in the first phase.

The official name for the project formerly known as “the new arts center”, “the old middle school", and “wait, we’re building a what?” has finally been revealed:

The Arts Union.

Learn more about the name and the contest that inspired it. > 

The design team led by Meyer Scherer & Rockcastle Architects is more than 50 percent complete with the schematic design and is scheduled to be complete February 2008. The project will have multiple phases. The schematic design process will identify which parts of the new facility and building site will be developed in the first phase.