Renovation FAQ: Richardson Memorial Hall

Richardson Memorial Hall, designed in 1907, is located on the St. Charles Avenue side of Tulane's Uptown campus.

FAQs

Click on the topics below to expand the list and see our Frequently Asked Questions.

Project Overview

  • Total Project Cost: Up to $32 million (up to $23 million is committed from Tulane University Administration and remainder will be paid for by Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), which has already raised $6 million as of March 2021)
  • Architects: Trapolin Peer Architects
  • Design Team: Trapolin Peer Architects and TuSA Administration
  • Contractor: Broadmoor LLC Construction (a subsidiary of Boh Bros. Construction Co.)
  • Project Eligible for Louisiana State Historic Tax Credits
  • LEED Silver designation is the energy efficiency target and baseline
  • Scope: Renovation to restore historic Richardson Memorial Hall (45,000 square feet) and additions to the back of the building (15,000 square feet) for code compliance and essential programming

Timeline

  • Design Completed: Spring 2022
  • Value Engineering: Spring 2022 (currently underway, not finalized)
  • Abatement/Demolition Start: March 21, 2022, and will last 190 days
  • Construction Start: Spring/Summer 2022
  • Construction Completion: Late Fall 2023
  • Full Occupancy: Late Fall 2023/Spring 2024

Additional Details

  • Enhanced teaching and fabrication spaces, as well as faculty and administrative offices, are needed to accommodate TuSA’s growing student body. The school currently has a total of 440 Undergraduate First Majors and Graduate Students (up from 300 students two years ago)
  • Fabrication facilities will be located together (analog and digital) and have access to outdoor space for overflow needs.
  • Students and faculty will be able to begin site visits for educational purposes in Fall 2022.
  • Tulane University is still exploring multiple options to provide food services/dining in or near Richardson Memorial Hall. If located inside RMH, dining will likely not take up the same amount of space as the previous Drawing Board Café.
  • Challenges, to date, include permitting processes and supply chain delays.
  • Partial occupancy is unlikely due to the nature of construction and the disruption, inconveniences to school operations.

RMH Renovation Renderings

Digital renderings of the future RMH building were developed by TuSA student Leah Bohatch and RMH Renovation Co-Curators Sonsoles Vela and Nick LiCausi. The renderings below (which show the Thomson Lecture Hall and adjacent Gallery) were developed using the plan drawings from project architects Trapolin Peer Architects.

Interior perspective render of a large lecture hall with the lights off, looking at the stage from the back of the room with several rows of chairs in front of the stage
Interior perspective render of a large lecture hall during the day time, looking at the stage from the back of the room with drawings on pinup boards in front of the stage in place of rows of seating
Interior perspective render of studio space with four rows of desk in the foreground, a row of windows in the background, and exposed rafters above in a pitched roof ceiling
Interior perspective render from one end of a long narrow gallery space looking toward the far end with wall-mounted drawings on the left side, objects on pedestals in the middle, and windows on the right side.