Conservatory Receives Top Floor of Bookstore

The top floor of the Oberlin Bookstore wonıt be empty much longer.

The space, unused since late last year, will soon be filled with Conservatory staff. The top floor will house the Conservatoryıs admissions office as well as other administrative departments.

³Things are not anywhere near finalized for exactly whatıs going to go up there, but the main thrust is to get the Conservatory admissions office up there,² said Michael Lynn, Associate Dean of Technology and Facilities for the Conservatory.

The College purchased the building after the Co-Op bookstore closed its doors last Fall semester. The two lower floors currently house the Oberlin Bookstore, managed by Barnes and Nobleıs college division.

The decision to allocate the space to the Conservatory was made after summer discussions between members of the administration and various academic divisions. Other bidders included the Oberlin College Press and the Theater and Dance Department.

³In the end, the decision was made that the Conservatory, given its proximity and given its need, was the right choice for the space,² said Vice President of Finance Andy Evans.

³I think that there were a few people who were interested in that space, but because weıre right next door, weıve got a big advantage,² said Lynn. ³Itıs really easy to integrate that space and make it part of our facility, whereas for anybody else, that would be a pretty difficult thing. We are also the most cramped facility on campus.²

Cleveland architects Blunden, Barclay and Robbie have been designated to design the offices. The firm submitted a preliminary sketch this week, focusing on such issues as handicapped access and building a secure entrance separate from the bookstore.

Although the operation is still in the beginning stages, construction of the offices is tentatively planned for Winter Term in order to cause the Bookstore the least disruption possible.

³The last time I heard, [the construction] probably wasnıt going to be until November or December. If itıs over Christmas break, itıs not too big of a deal,² said Oberlin Bookstore Manager Jennifer Galt. ³Until we see the drawings, I really donıt know.²

The top floor was formerly a coffee-house and record store run by the Co-Op, but when Barnes and Noble took over, they signed a contract for the first two floors only. ³Barnes and Noble was not interested in all three floors,² said Evans.

Conservatory administrators are relieved to have the opportunity to leave their current cramped quarters.

³Thereıs no place else thatıs as crowded and as tightly scheduled as the Conservatory,² said Lynn.

³[Admissions] is the first place new students go, itıs the first place that new parents often go, and where they are right now, theyıre crammed into a space that used to be a faculty lounge. Theyıve got like five people in this one space thatıs been chopped up into little pieces,² continued Lynn.

³We are very excited about moving to a new space. Our quarters in the Conservatory ‹ while we like them a lot, and itıs always made for a very close-knit, well-working office ‹ itıs kind of like being on a submarine,² said Assistant Director of Admissions for the Conservatory David Kazimir.

³I think itıs going to be a classy space for all of us to work in, and to introduce prospective students and family to the Conservatory and to Oberlin,² continued Kazimir. ³In the long run itıs going to contribute to a happier administration.²