The old Sawyer Library is coming down in Williamstown.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — It is a scene right out of the dreams of any mediocre student.
Williams College is tearing down the former Sawyer Library, a demolition process that is expected to consume the better part of the summer.
"The structure will be down to grade by the end of the week," Williams Senior Project Manager Bruce Decoteau said on Tuesday. "Then obviously, there's a huge basement or cellar that goes a couple of stories below grade."
Those who struggled with grades when they were in school might enjoy the sight of a library being ripped down piece by piece, but the fact is that Sawyer has been vacant for more than a year anyway since it was replaced by the brand-new Stetson-Sawyer Library complex next door.
The old Sawyer, a 1970s Brutalist structure that had outlived its usefulness, is being cleared to make way for a new campus green that will connect the new library with the Paresky Center, Williams' version of what on many campuses is referred to as a student union. The greenway will be framed by Schapiro and Hollander halls, opened in 2008.
Decoteau said that phase one of the campus' redesign — the elimination of the old Sawyer — will be completed in time for the beginning of the new academic year in September.
Temporary pathways will be available to connect the buildings that will frame the planned green.
Next summer, the college will go back and finish landscaping the new outdoor space, Decoteau said.
When completed, the campus redesign will include a reworking of nearby Chapin Drive, which will be dead-ended at the driveway for the First Congregational Church parking lot and turned into a pedestrian way.
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Clark Art Presents Music At the Manton Concert
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute kicks off its three-part Music at the Manton Concert series for the spring season with a performance by Myriam Gendron and P.G. Six on Friday, April 26 at 7 pm.
The performance takes place in the Clark's auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center.
According to a press release:
Born in Canada, Myriam Gendron sings in both English and French. After her 2014 critically-acclaimed debut album Not So Deep as a Well, on which she put Dorothy Parker's poetry to music, Myriam Gendron returns with Ma délire – Songs of Love, Lost & Found. The bilingual double album is a modern exploration of North American folk tales and traditional melodies, harnessing the immortal spirit of traditional music.
P.G. Six, the stage name of Pat Gubler, opens for Myriam Gendron. A prominent figure in the Northeast folk music scene since the late 1990s, Gubler's latest record, Murmurs and Whispers, resonates with a compelling influence of UK psychedelic folk.
Tickets $10 ($8 members, $7 students, $5 children 15 and under). Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. Advance registration encouraged. For more information and to register, visit clarkart.edu/events.
This performance is presented in collaboration with Belltower Records, North Adams, Massachusetts.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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