Written by: Deanna Figueiredo and Carson Gregors

Georgia College (GC) has designated a total of $17 million to the renovation of three campus buildings, seeking to provide needed office space for faculty and a campus welcome center, said Michael Rickenbaker, university architect and director of Facilities Planning.

“We have $3.9 million renovations at Mayfair and MacIntosh,” Rickenbaker said. “(Beeson Hall) is a huge project. The total is $13.1 million and that’s everything.” The renovations taking place in Mayfair Hall will create a visitors’ center and accommodate for the transferal of the departments of enrollment management and admissions, said Suzanne Pittman, associate vice president of Enrollment Management.

“We really needed a visitors’ center, because when families come to campus to visit Georgia College now, there’s really not a central location for them to go to get information,” Pittman said. The construction for the visitors’ center is set to be completed in December and move in is scheduled for January, said Pittman. The building will feature touch screen displays around the lobby for visitors to use to gain information about GC and the programs offered. Pittman said the new facility will also contain a large presentation room, an elevator and an area for visitor parking.

Beeson Hall and MacIntosh House are also being renovated to create office space for GC faculty. “Part of this (project) was to move everyone out of Terrell, so we could renovate it,” Rickenbaker said. “Most of the academic departments in Terrell will be moved into Beeson.” Several of the departments moving into Beeson will only remain until the completion of the renovation of Terrell Hall, which begins once current projects are finished. However, the smaller departments from Terrell Hall that move into MacIntosh House will remain there permanently, said Rickenbaker.

Rickenbaker said the construction of Beeson Hall is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2017. Rick Ruark, associate director for Planning Construction & Business Services, said MacIntosh House’s estimated construction completion date is in December, allowing offices to move in the following March.

(Feature image by: Ada Montgomery/ Senior Photographer)