These images were taken during the recent renovation and expansion of
the VMI Musuem spaces. The VMI Visitor center and Coffee Bar is located
on the 100 level while the VMI
Museum occupies the 200 and 100 levels. Access to all floors will
be by the new elevator located in the entrance lobby off of Letcher
Avenue.
The following construction images were taken on 29 March 2006. |
 |
This view shows the lobby (in the foreground) which will be separated from the
exhibit spaces by a glass curtain wall to be located at the stairwell, which
will be inside the exhibit area. The 950 square foot museum store will be
located to the left. The main 3,000 square foot "VMI Cadet History" exhibit
will be to the right. The pink fiberglass insulation in the rear is the wall
separating the exhibit area from the Lecture Reference Library. |
 |
The new stairwell connecting
the two museum levels is in place. It is an open design allowing a dramatic
view from one floor to the next. The windows will remain, providing natural
light and retaining the Gothic Revival flavor of Jackson Memorial Hall. |
| The Lecture / Reference Library
will accommodate cadet and public gatherings. With a 45 person seating
capacity, wireless internet and video
capabilities, the room can host a class or small gathering. The museum's
collection of several
hundred
reference
volumes will be housed in one end of the room. The
grouping of three
arched windows
will
remain. |
 |
 |
This dramatic hole will house
the new elevator which will provide barrier free access to all levels
of Jackson Memorial Hall. The small gray figure to the left of the six
circles (buckets) in the center of the image is a worker removing limestone
bedrock from the shaft base 40 feet below the 300 level. |
| A closer look at the bottom.
. . excavation the old fashion way. |
 |
 |
The 100 level was created
by pouring a new concrete floor about eight feet above the old "pool"
level, thus subdividing the large pool space into two floors. The new
100 level
with
the future VMI Alumni Story exhibit area in the foreground and the
Henry
Stewart
Antique Firearms collection area in the background.
To the left is the stairwell and to the right is the barrier free ramp
between the raised and sunken areas of the 100 level. The gentlemen inspececting
the site are Mr. Chris Stone, VMI Class of 1978, president of Clark-Nexsen,
architect and engineering firm for the project and West Point graduate
Mr. Karl Fears, Project Manager. |
Below the "new" 100 level
is the "old" 100 level swimming pool which has been converted
into a sub-basement for the mechanical system. Note the black
lane marker stripe on the tiled pool bottom just to the right
of the ladder.
|
 |
 |
Museum space requires sophisticated
climate control-- and lots of it! |