Home of the BYU Communications Department
In conjunction with Brigham Young University's August Commencement Exercises, the recently renovated George H. Brimhall Building, the new home of the BYU Communications Department, will be dedicated Thursday, Aug. 11, at 1 p.m in 140 Brimhall Building, located on the southwest corner of campus.
Elder John H. Groberg, a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a descendant of George H. Brimhall, will preside at the dedication and offer the dedicatory prayer. President Cecil O. Samuelson will also speak during the ceremony. The public is welcome to attend.
August Commencement Exercises will follow at 4 p.m. in the Marriott Center.
"The Brimhall Building has brought the entire department together," said Ed Adams, Communications Department chair. "We were previously separated between two buildings--the Wilkinson Student Center and the Harris Fine Arts Center--and across five floors of the Harris Fine Arts Center.
"The greatest benefit of the building has been the open space and common areas for students to gather. The atrium and stair landings provide space for the students and are beginning to create a sense of community," he said. "For the first time since 1965, the faculty is housed together on the same floor. This has increased our sense of collegiality and collaboration.
"With the Daily Universe and the broadcast news lab located in the same building as the department, the level of interaction among students, staff and faculty has increased dramatically," said Adams.
Named in 1935 in honor of BYU's fourth president, the Brimhall Building first opened its doors as a one-story brick structure in 1919 and provided vocational training in auto mechanics, blacksmithing and woodworking. It later served as headquarters for the Student Army Training Corps in World War I and was even the university president's garage for a time. It was most recently the home of the Department of Visual Arts.
"It was built in at least three stages, so it presented a big challenge in terms of its seismic upgrade," said Jim Beagles, project coordinator for BYU Physical Facilities.
In addition to the seismic reinforcement, most of which is not visible, the building received a major electrical and computer upgrade, which helped in relocating the computer-driven operations of the Daily Universe and the broadcast news lab from the Wilkinson Student Center to the Brimhall Building's first level. Classrooms are on the building's second level, with faculty offices on the third floor.
Cosmetic changes included a full interior paint job and the installation of new floor coverings, as well as reclaiming some of the building's original terrazzo floors in the main entry, said Beagles. The exterior enjoyed a full relandscaping as well.
Writer: Cecelia Fielding
