By Carin Holmes
News Editor
The renovation of the DeFrancesco Building is continuing as the spring semester begins.
Credit: Vincent Lattanzi
The building is being renovated to become home to the College of Business at KU in the fall of 2023, said Interim Director of Facilities Project Services, Bill Leech.
The renovations began in August 2021 with an asbestos abatement of a portion of the building, which, according to Leech, took longer than expected due to unforeseen conditions after opening the walls.
Since the asbestos abatement concluded, the interior demolition has been finished and metal framing has gone up on the first floor. In addition, mechanical and plumbing work is underway and the construction of a new addition on the southern end of the building has begun.
The next project on the DeFrancesco Building will be the ADA-accessible entrance on the eastern (Beekey Building) side of the building.
All blockages to sidewalks that are in place will remain until the end of the project, said Leech. Toward the end of the project, some sidewalks, such as the sidewalk between the Rohrbach Library and Rickenbach Learning Center, will be replaced. This area will be closed off when this portion of the project is underway.
More information about the renovations of the DeFrancesco Building can be found here.