Whig Hall renovations to begin in June

This summer, Whig Hall, home to the world’s oldest collegiate political, literary and debating society, will undergo its first large-scale renovation since 1972.

Since the completion of repairs following a 1969 fire, the iconic marble building’s structure, built in 1893, has remained untouched. The proposed changes to Whig, however, include significant systems updates and internal modernizations that will help “bring it into the 21st century,” said Skip Rankin ’72, who was president of the Whig-Cliosophic Society in 1970 and is now chairman of the Whig-Clio Board of Trustees.

Construction work is scheduled to begin after Reunions and is slated for completion before students return next fall, Whig-Clio president Ben Weisman ’11 said. Weisman is also the director of advertising sales and development for The Daily Princetonian.

“The systems are tired and need to be replaced, especially the heating and cooling systems,” said Dave Howell, program manager in the Office of Design and Construction. He noted that work will also be done on the electrical, sprinkler and fire alarm systems.

Improvements to the building’s internal spaces will be funded by Whig-Clio, which pays rent to the University for its use of the building. The systems renovations will be funded through the University’s regular major maintenance program, Howell said.

Howell and Rankin both declined to comment on the cost of the renovations, though Howell noted that the costs have been distributed in a careful and responsible manner.

The renovations are designed to increase the overall level of comfort and functionality, Whig-Clio officials said. New offices will be installed on the lower floor, Howell said, and Rankin noted that plans include better acoustics and lighting. The Whig Hall Senate Chamber will also receive a new ceiling and a renovated audiovisual system.

Whig will also be accessible by prox for the first time, Mock Trial president Mary Marshall ’10 said.

Rankin expressed hope that with the renovations, the senate chamber would become a “first-class facility for our debate and speaker activities.” Along with the systems upgrades, renovation plans include providing better amenities for Whig-Clio, which has been housed in the building since the two groups merged in the late ’20s, and the other groups that use the building.

“There is some clutter in the building from a lot of years of usage,” Howell said. “We’re very excited about making the building a more lively place [that is] more utilized by the student body.”

Though the internal structure will undergo extensive changes, Whig Hall “should remain for the most part similar on the outside,” Weisman said.

Howell noted that the roof will be replaced and expanded to accommodate the new heating and cooling systems. The plans also include “building waterproofing along the foundations so it stays dry inside [the building] and reconfiguring some of the ways the utilities come in through the site,” Howell said.

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Rankin said that the renovation process was much more student-involved than it was in the ’70s. “We frankly were not much involved at all the first time.” he said. “I insisted upon the students having direct contact with the architects and having input in terms of the functionality of the building.”

Marshall noted that Whig is currently not conducive to the needs of the Mock Trial team. “There’s one room that we use for auditions, but it’s poorly lit, and we sort of only use it out of necessity,” she explained.

Alex Scheeler ’11, executive director of Princeton Model Congress, said that the facilities in Whig are currently adequate for the organization’s needs, since its main conference is held at a hotel in Washington, D.C. “For organizations that use Whig more frequently though, I can completely understand why the renovations would be necessary and desirable,” she said in an e-mail.

With the benefit of the added amenities, Weisman said he hopes that the renovations will “serve as sort of a wake-up for the [Whig-Clio] society.”

“I think that for the past few years, Whig-Clio has sort of fallen into being only an umbrella organization for all the subsidiary groups,” Weisman said. “But I think now, with the renovations, there will be a lot of benefits to members ... which should do a lot of good for the society.”

Whig-Clio’s subsidiary groups include Princeton Debate Panel, Mock Trial, the International Relations Council and Model Congress.

Former Whig-Clio president Molly Alarcon ’10 expressed similar hopes. “The renovation of the building — making it a more functional and hospitable destination for Whig-Clio subsidiaries and the many student groups that use the facilities — will spur a revitalization of Whig-Clio as an organization,” she said in an e-mail.

“We’ve been working really hard this semester to improve what Whig-Clio has to offer as a group,” Weisman said. “Hopefully, we can finally become what Whig-Clio once was.”

“I hope to hear the improved Senate Chamber echo with spirited debate as it has for centuries,” Alarcon added.

Rankin said he is excited to watch the continuation of Whig Hall’s historic renovation process. “It’s satisfying to have a chance to see that we can improve upon what was done in the ’70s and bring it to today’s needs,” he said. “We want this to be a vibrant home of the society, and we don’t get a chance to do this too often.”

Howell said he is optimistic that the project will begin on schedule after its likely finalization in May. “In this environment … projects can be put on hold for budget reasons,” he explained. “I don’t anticipate that, but other projects have, so we just have to wait and see if the project will move forward or not.”