Last summer’s grand reopening of Bloch Heritage Hall marked a two-fold celebration, 纪念亨利·W. Bloch on what would have been his 100th birthday and the revitalization of a campus cornerstone. 校友, 学生, 大学领导, 市政府官员, donors and members of the Bloch family all gathered for the celebration and ribbon cutting. 

Bloch Heritage Hall is an amalgamation of the historic Shields Mansion, an estate built in the early years of the 20th century for grain magnate Edwin W. 希尔兹和妻子, 玛莎, and a sprawling addition the university completed in 1986 with a $1 million contribution from Henry Bloch himself. With the opening of Bloch Executive Hall in 2013, Heritage Hall’s $17 million upgrade was necessary to keep up to date with the evolving school. 

“The recent renovation of Bloch Heritage Hall has been a game changer, 不仅仅是为了我们的学生, 对我们的教职员工也是如此,斯科特·埃泽尔说, manager of undergraduate admissions and recruitment. “Students now have a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces in Heritage Hall available to use for individual study, group collaboration or simply just to relax and socialize between classes. More 学生 stick around between classes than ever before, and there’s a distinct energy throughout the building that wasn’t as noticeable before the renovation.” 

作为项目的一部分，玛丽昂H. Bloch Terrace and Park also went through a transformational beautification and enhancement, providing outstanding space for 学生, faculty and staff to gather and collaborate. 它也一直, 并将继续如此, 学校的许多活动都在这里举行, helping to build connections and community.   

The multi-year project sought to maintain the aesthetics of the building’s historic exterior, while moving dated sections of the building’s interior into the 21st century with new offices, gathering spaces and classrooms entwined with modern technology that fosters flexible learning environments for 学生. 

Only accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for remote learning options has grown in recent years, as more 学生 demand hybrid learning models to balance classwork with outside obligations. Each classroom touched by the renovation now includes such amenities as video screens, 照相机和麦克风, allowing access to lessons and lectures from virtually anywhere.

“The new designs and renovations make it easy for 学生 to collaborate and work together in class to solve problems,布莱恩·克拉斯说, 布洛赫学院院长. “They give 学生 new options for how to engage, with some joining in-person and others opting to participate virtually.” 

The renovation not only improves technology but also centralizes previously hard-to-find resources into a single student services hub. 从大楼的正门, 学生 can now directly access valuable assets, 包括本科生指导, 就业中心, 招聘, 辅导和学生组织. 

由PGAV建筑事务所设计, the hub was created by filling in two floors of an atrium — the centerpiece of the 1986 addition. Newly created floor space on the first floor created an open common area where 学生 can mingle and meet. 

“除了再生能源, 学生, faculty and staff are now even more accessible as a result of the new Bloch Student Services Hub. Students can now just come to the hub’s front desk to find help with anything they need,” Ezzell补充道. “It could be a prospective student wanting to learn more about Bloch and our programs, a current student needing class or career advice or someone wanting to visit their professor during their office hours. With most of Bloch’s faculty and services offices centrally located, we’re able to serve our 学生 and collaborate with one another more efficiently and effectively.”