Syracuse University’s campus may start to look a little different as several construction projects progress toward completion.

Dineen Hall, a new bookstore and Dick Clark Studios in Newhouse II are all currently in their construction phases. Officials involved with the projects said the buildings are on schedule for completion and all slated to open in fall 2014.

Dineen Hall will house the SU College of Law, which is currently split between two buildings — Winifred MacNaughton Hall and Ernest I. White Hall — which currently holds classrooms, faculty and staff offices and Grant Auditorium.

Dineen Hall will be a 200,000-square-foot building and is included in SU’s west campus expansion. The new building is named for Robert Dineen, a 1924 alumnus, and Carolyn Dineen, a 1932 alumnus. Their three children, Carolyn, Kathryn and Robert Jr., pledged a $15 million naming gift to honor their parents’ legacy.

Construction on Dineen Hall is roughly 75 percent completed, Otey Marshall, vice president of Hueber-Breuer, said in an email.  Hueber-Breuer is a Syracuse-based construction company working on Dineen Hall.

Marshall said the project team, including the owner, architects, engineers and builders, has successfully overcome each challenge it has faced.  Severe weather, soil conditions and tight site conditions have posed challenges in the process, he added.

The original project budget has been maintained throughout construction, Marshall said.

“Working with SU in an ‘open book format’ has allowed budget savings to be re-invested into the building for improvements as chosen by SU,” he said.

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications has also made progress with the construction of Dick Clark Studios.

Construction began in April 2013 and the building is expected to open in fall 2014, said Susan Nash, director of administration at Newhouse.

The project is estimated to cost roughly $18 million and will feature both news and production studios, as well as advanced teaching labs. The studios will also provide a bureau and office space for Orange Television Network.

Funding for Dick Clark Studios comes from a variety of sources, including the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation Inc., the university and industry partnerships, according to the Newhouse website. Construction is still meeting its $18 million budget, Nash said.

“We haven’t run into many problems, but one of the biggest challenges we have faced is the noise that generates from the construction,” she said.

To counteract the noise, construction crews are working early in the morning and on weekends so classes will not be disturbed, Nash said.

The lobby to Dick Clark Studios will be located at the corner of University and Waverly Avenue. The studios are named after Dick Clark, a 1951 alumnus, who was best known for hosting American Bandstand and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.

Gensler, the San Francisco-based architecture firm designing the studios, could not be reached for comment.

Cameron Group, a private developer based in East Syracuse, continues construction on a new SU bookstore, which will also contain a fitness center for students and employees. The 85,000-square-foot building will be built at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Harrison Street. Cameron Group will own the new bookstore, and SU will lease the property from the company.

Cameron Group did not return a call or email requesting comment.  

The current bookstore in Schine Student Center was built in 1985 and will remain open.

Published on February 6, 2014 at 12:52 am

Contact Justin: jmatting@syr.edu | @jmattingly306