Demolition of the Winnett Student Center will begin on September 5, temporarily requiring the current fenced-in construction area to expand to the east. This means the area will abut Page House and restricting pedestrian access, says Greg Norden, Caltech Facilities' project manager for the Hameetman Center.
The expansion will prevent pedestrian access to the courtyard of Page, as well as access along that route from the Olive Walk to Chandler Dining Hall. A new walkway along this route will be constructed and is currently scheduled to open on September 20, Norden says.
The Winnett demolition will continue through September and construction of the Hameetman Center—a 24,000-square-foot, two-story campus hub that is named in honor of Caltech trustee Fred Hameetman (BS '62) and his wife, Joyce, who provided the initial funding to initiate the design—will commence immediately thereafter. The center is scheduled to be completed in late 2018.
In recognition of the role Winnett and its predecessors have played in campus life, Caltech magazine has created a retrospective of campus hubs throughout the Institute's history. You can also read about Caltech alumni memories of Winnett in the magazine's Endnotes column.
Written by Jon Nalick