Thumbs up for chancellor's residence

The new, energy-efficient structure could be finished as soon as fall 1997

By Maril Revette Stratton

A construction fence will go up May 1 at the Chancellor's Residence at 16 College Park in Davis as the property is readied for dismantling and reconstructing.

The 60-year-old home, typically host to 6,500 visitors a year, has been vacant since February 1994 because of serious structural and mechanical problems. A small guest house, constructed in the 1970s and located at the rear of the property, has been sold to a neighbor and will be relocated.

"We'll advertise for a builder May 1 and hope to award a contract by July 1 to take advantage of the favorable summer and fall weather," said Janet Hamilton, vice chancellor for administration. Construction could begin as early as Aug. 1, she said, and be completed within 12-14 months.

Demolition and reconstruction costs, projected to be about $1.2 million, will be covered with private funds raised by the campus, supplemented by non-state funds from the Office of the President.

The UC Davis Foundation has pledged $500,000 and the Office of the President has committed $347,000. The remainder will be solicited from "one to three major donors," said Rich Matheny, vice chancellor for university relations. "We hope to have our fund raising completed by late summer."

The facility's new design, created by San Francisco architectural firm William Turnbull Associates, features a courtyard ringed by a combination of private and public spaces designed to meet the needs of both a residence and a public venue for hosting fund raising, recruiting and recognition events.

"The architect did a masterful job of blending the functional needs with a physical design that will look like it's part of a residential neighborhood, that doesn't overpower or bring a commercial feel to the neighborhood," Hamilton said. "The College Park neighborhood has been a wonderful host to the chancellor's family and the university's friends and we, in turn, want to be good neighbors as we plan our new residence."

Demolition and reconstruction was recommended by a campus committee of faculty, staff, student, alumni and donor representatives chaired by Hamilton. The group favored creating a facility that would serve both as a private residence and as a public venue at the tradition-laden 16 College Park site, believing that long-term operating costs would be substantially reduced with a new, energy-efficient and well-constructed residence. Hamilton noted that remodeling "didn't seem the best choice for a building that was constructed as a private residence more than 60 years ago and periodically remodeled in ways that make further changes virtually impossible."

Removal of asbestos and lead and remodeling to meet current building codes and federal accessibility requirements for those with disabilities would also make any remodeling program "prohibitively costly," she said.