WSU Opens New Lindquist Hall on Institution’s 130th Birthday

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State University will host a grand opening ceremony for the renovated Lindquist Hall – formerly known as the Social Science building – on the institution’s 130th Founders Day, Jan. 7, 2019 at 2:30 p.m.

An open house with self-guided tours of the building will be held from 2-4 p.m., with the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m. WSU alumnus Paul Draper, an anthropology graduate and illusionist, is scheduled to perform at 3 and 4 p.m.

Lindquist Hall has been named in honor of the Lindquist family. John E. Lindquist, president of Lindquist Mortuaries and Great Western Insurance, donated $5 million dollars to the project.

Additional funding for the building came from the Utah State Legislature. The Legislature approved $14 million for construction in 2017, and an additional $16 million was allocated in 2018 to complete the project.

The massive Social Science building renovation began in April 2017. The old structure was stripped to its reinforced concrete frame and foundation. A structural analysis determined that keeping “the bones” of the building would save about $50 to $60 per square foot, or $5 million to $6 million overall, while also reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing and installing new steel and concrete.

Lindquist Hall will be home to the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. The building will house the offices of seven departments: criminal justice, geography, history, political science and philosophy, psychology, social work and gerontology, and sociology and anthropology. Additionally, the Olene S. Walker Institute of Politics & Public Service and the Richard Richards Institute for Ethics will be located in the new building.

The 119,322-square-foot building was designed by GSBS Architects and built by Big-D Construction. The building will have 34 classrooms, 72 offices, five labs, a 150-seat lecture hall, a computer lab and testing center. Additionally, the new building has study spaces on each floor.

“We in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences are very excited to be moving into Lindquist Hall,” said Frank Harrold, college dean. “It is a beautiful, state-of-the-art building with laboratories and classrooms utilizing the latest designs and technology to help our students learn. It is a far superior facility to the old Social Science building.”

Facts and Figures:

Architect: GSBS Architect
Contractor: Big-D Construction
Project Manager: Chad Downs
$34,940,000 total cost
119,322 square feet
4 stories
34 classrooms
6 student study spaces
5 labs
72 offices
14 restrooms
1 elevator
1 testing center
3 computer labs
1 lactation room

For photos, visit the following link.

wsuucomm.smugmug.com/Colleges-and-Departments/Social-and-Behavioral-Sciences/Lindquist-Preview

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Author:

Ross Rosier, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7948 • rossrosier@weber.edu

Contact:

Allison Barlow Hess, Public Relations director
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu