The Core Campus project enters a new phase over winter break with the removal of Robinson A to make way for a new, state-of-the art building. Photo provided.
The university is gearing up for the next phase of the Core Campus Project, which will transform the center of George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus.
The Mason clock, a campus landmark and gift from the Class of 1999, is expected to be moved into storage next week, where it will remain for a year for safe-keeping. This will allow for the expansion of Wilkins Plaza, which will extend from its current end point near the Johnson Center to Southside Dining Hall.
In addition to the clock moving, the university will begin taking Robinson A down during the Winter Break and clear the grounds for construction of the new facility. The state-of-the-art, six-story, 218,000-square-foot building will offer maximum teaching and learning flexibility.
Also to be stored soon is the “Woman in Hammock” statue next to Robinson A.
The George Mason statue will be moved to Holton Plaza in November 2020 and returned to its home on Wilkins Plaza at the end of 2021.
Cathy Pinskey, program director for George Mason Facilities, said the clock will be crated and moved to a campus warehouse until its reappearance in November 2019 slightly north and east of its current location.
“It will be protected,” she said.
Pinskey said the university is working to minimize disruptions caused by the construction, including two unplanned utility outages that occurred during trenching
“We have put in some improved processes that we think are going to reduce the risk [of further outages],” she said.
That includes proactive talks with Dominion Energy to help better locate utility lines.
Pinskey also said that trenching will not be done during final exams.
For more information about the project and the latest construction timeline, visit construction.gmu.edu.