Construction will begin this fall on a new addition to the International
House, which serves as the official gathering place of international visitors
and scholars to UC Davis and the city of Davis.
A ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled this morning with dignitaries Mayor Lois Wolk and Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef in attendance.
The International House-Davis is a non-profit, community organization based at 10 College Park Drive that serves community, business and university persons who seek intercultural exchanges and friendships.
The two-level addition to the organization's headquarters was designed by International House-Davis board member Helge Olson, a senior lecturer in environmental design, with Davis architect Ty Smalley. The plan, which more than doubles the space, includes a 1,700-square- foot multipurpose community room and a 1,500-square-foot basement with a new stairway and exit, and an elevator.
A Japanese garden is planned to the south of the addition. A 6-foot-tall Japanese stone lantern donated to the International House by former Chancellor Emil Mrak's wife, Vera, will be its centerpiece.
A major goal, says International House Executive Director Patrick Widner, is to preserve the architectural integrity of the original building, which became the International House in 1984. According to designer Olson, the house, built in the late '30s, was created in the international style.
The new community room will allow the International House to better accommodate the 800 meetings and gatherings held each year, Widner says.
These include international student and scholar receptions, ethnic dinners, seminars, lectures, dances, classes, films and art exhibits.
The house also has served as a home base for Humphrey Fellows and Gender and Global Issues Fellows, two groups of international visitors who come to UC Davis for mid-career sabbaticals.
"It will allow us to hold our programs in a new area that is suitable and comfortable," Widner says. "It should make the International House more attractive to university and community groups."
Moreover, Widner says, the new community room will allow the existing living and dining areas to be converted into a space where students, scholars and other guests can drop in on a more casual basis, something that limited space has made impossible up until now.
Widner expects the construction will be completed by June 1997.
The cost of building and furnishing the new addition will cost $400,000-$450,000. The International House has already raised $390,000 through public and private donations, including a $60,000 gift from the Eva Buck Trust Fund in San Francisco.
Funding for the new elevator came from the city of Davis' community development block-grant funds, and UC Davis gave $18,000 toward furnishing the student lounge.
In addition, more than 150 sponsors have made donations of $1,000 or more to the project, and 71 donors have also given sums less than $1,000.
Those interested in the project can contact the International House at 753-5007.
Willow Cook, a senior comparative literature major, is Dateline's summer intern.
