September 18 - September 22, 2006

Foundation walls are rising out of the hole in the area soon to be known as the Donna Giacoma Swank '61 Art Labs. The effort of forming around reinforcing steel and placing concrete is being done in manageable phases, thus the current look you see on site and in these pictures. Some completed concrete walls, others reinforced and framed in forms. Very soon now we'll start installing underground utilities, plumbing and electrical components. These systems will be partially encased in the concrete floor slab which will be poured into the basement. Cooler temperatures are expected, and this will be a welcome condition as long as it doesn't rain anymore! No one enjoys working in a mud bath, especially when you're tasked with building a straight and strong foundation for a fine theater.

Monday September 11

A somber day. As it rains outside and we send our workers home, I'm given the time to reflect on things. Of course there are the thoughts of the horrible attacks of five years ago...but also on that pain known as the MS150. These are good times actually. I took the weekend to push my body to the limit with two 75 mile rides, and I survived with out a single mishap. Well I was witness to a mishap or two, the most amusing being one of my ride partners missing the 75 mile turn off on Day 1, and instead finding himself out with the elite nut cases on the century ride. He pulled in hours later with an attitude that could've cooked a pig (the photo shows JD Long of Alberici on the left, our mistaken century rider Jack Scriber in the middle, and myself in the Maplewood Bicycle jersey). We all did well however, and had the time of our lives out on the roads in the country meeting all sorts of like minded people getting exercise and raising money for a good cause. In fact a few of them wore bicycle jersey's with the familiar name Nerinx emblazoned on the front. I found these nice girls and a Nerinx dad at a rest stop at the top of an impossible series of hills. Everyone there looked at everyone else as if they'd survived a natural disaster together, and coming out on the other end a miracle. The esprit de corps was apparent on everyone's faces. Happy trails!

Footings and Foundations, September 5 through 8, 2006

So what to make of what we see so far...well, there would appear to be walls going up! But not so fast. The "walls" are temporary forms which will hold the concrete in place until such time as they can be stripped away to reveal your gorgeous concrete foundation walls. In other words...more of the same. Yawn.

What is most impressive about these basement walls is their height. What I would give to have 14' ceilings in my basement. No more smacking my head on ductwork. The lower level of the Heagney will be deep with high ceilings, and this can be seen in the photo above. Inside the concrete forms, our carpenters are building the framework for doors, windows, and other openings and ledges. When the forms are stripped back, these openings in the foundation wall will be left behind. On the exterior of the building, the concrete walls will be either covered by backfill (underground), or decorative brick or siding above ground.

Soon we'll be joined by our underground utility folks, plumbers, steel erectors, and electricians.