MIT Sloan’s original building, E52, is undergoing major renovations. Once renovations are complete, the familiar “50 Memorial Drive” etched in stone outside will remain the same at the Memorial Drive entrance, while the Shames Plaza entrance will be lit up with a sculpture created by artist Leo Villareal.
Villareal was recently awarded an MIT Percent-for-Art commission to create a light installation for the historic building. It has been undergoing major renovations for the past year and is expected to re-open in January 2016. Villareal created The Bay Lights on the San Francisco Bay Bridge West Span last year. For E52, he plans to craft a light sculpture in the north vestibule, which will feature a new, glass-enclosed entrance.
The original MIT Sloan building, built in 1938 as the site of the Lever Brothers company headquarters, will not only feature the light sculpture, but will be radically updated on the inside.
The building’s exterior will be preserved, but will be repaired, cleaned, and have an addition of new windows. Although there will be interior style changes, the two main staircases and the elevators will remain in the original locations, but the walls, floors, and ceilings will be new.
The former MIT Faculty Club space, which will be expanded and renovated as a campus conference center, will return to the sixth floor and will also encompass a glass-encased rooftop. The center will be available to all members of the MIT community for meetings, events, banquets, and conferences. In total, nearly 20,000 square feet of space will be added to the 135,000 square foot building.