The $78,000 restoration of Beardshear Hall has been underway for more than a year with an emphasis on student convenience and safety, campus officials said.

“Beardshear Hall is one of the campus’ historical buildings which has been around for about 100 years,” said Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance. “We want to make it last another hundred years.”

The construction project is to be accomplished in three phases during three years, the first of which is almost complete.

“The initial emphasis of this construction project was to develop our student center on the ground floor, which was part of the first phase,” Madden said.

The center consists of the student financial aid office, the Student Answer Center, accounts receivable, the ISU card office, career planning services and fee assessment.

When construction is completed, the floor will have a new atmosphere, said Steve Prater, architect for Facilities Planning and Management.

“The dark, cold feeling of the ground floor is now opened to a new lighting system, making the ground floor more user friendly,” he said.

In addition to the facelift, the building will be getting an updated safety system, Prater said.

When renovations are complete, Beardshear Hall will have a smoke removal system.

During a fire, the smoke is drawn toward the ceiling so people will be able to clearly see the exits, Prater said.

The second phase, also in progress, involves replacing the front steps leading into Beardshear’s main entrance.

The bonding agents in the brick and mortar supports of the original limestone steps were dissolved by water over the years. Steps made out of concrete cast stone and precast concrete supports have replaced them. Handrails also will be added, Prater said.

The third phase won’t begin until next semester.

It will include office remodeling on the second and third floors.

Other renovations include building a new handicap-accessible elevator and improvements to the door entrances, lighting and computer wiring, Madden said.

“We are also working out a plan for cleaning the dome and replacing the windows and window frames,” Prater said.

The only floor not being operated on is the first floor, which consists of the president and vice presidents’ offices.

Prater predicted the building will not be entirely finished before January 2003. The project began in the spring of 2000.