King Hall Renovation Underway

Construction crews have returned to UC Davis School of Law as the renovation phase of the King Hall Expansion and Renovation Project kicks off a period of intense activity scheduled for the summer of 2011.  Just days after commencement, work began on the renovation of the basement and classrooms in the "old" King Hall as part of the effort to upgrade the previously existing Law School building to complement the new, state-of-the-art expansion wing, which opened to faculty and students last fall.

Students will be the primary beneficiaries as the renovation brings significant improvements to classrooms, study areas, the student lounge, student organization offices, the Mabie Law Library, and other key facilities.  The work is expected to take roughly 18 months, with the most potentially disruptive construction scheduled for the summer months. 

Classrooms will be renovated to match the layout, aesthetic elegance, and technological capacity of those in the new east wing, including a "horseshoe" seating configuration and shallower vertical drop from the back of the room to the front to create an enhanced feeling of intimacy.  The Mabie Law Library will also see significant changes, as the renovation brings, among other things, an expanded and greatly improved lobby and a remodeling of the existing reading room.  Improvements to the basement and other areas will include expanded office spaces for student organizations such as the Law Review and other journals, significant improvements to student lockers, three and one-half new reading rooms, and an expanded and improved student lounge that will include not only microwave ovens and refrigerators, but two sinks - a feature that was absent from the old lounge.

Beginning May 16, crews began demolition and asbestos abatement work in the classrooms and basement, and erected temporary barriers to limit noise and disruption.  Along with the renovation work, the contractor has begun laying the foundation for an extension of the building that will provide additional space at King Hall's southwestern corner. 

The work is likely to be "noisy but productive," said Adam Talley, the Law School's Senior Assistant Dean for Administration.  It is expected that the upstairs classrooms in the "old" King Hall will be ready for use by the time classes begin in August, and the basement is likely to be open by end of the fall semester.

The UC Davis campus has firmly supported the Law School's efforts to proceed with the renovation of King Hall.  "Without the support of Chancellor Linda Katehi, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph Hexter, and Vice Chancellor of Administrative and Resource Management John Meyer, the renovation project would not have come to be.  The Law School owes them, as well as our generous donors, many thanks," said Kevin R. Johnson, Dean of the School of Law.