Demolition of the Hilgard Houses on Hilgard Avenue will begin next Monday as a start of a construction process that will result in 83 new graduate studio apartments.
“They are meant to complement the architecture along Hilgard Avenue and sorority row and to strengthen those buildings,” UCLA campus architect Jeffrey Averill said. “They are sort of based upon the model of courtyard housing in Los Angeles; they have a central courtyard that provides an area for the students that live there.”
The new buildings, which will stand at 720, 726 and 824 Hilgard Ave., will be based on the architecture of Weyburn Terrace, another graduate housing complex in Westwood, he added.
“They’ll be in Weyburn Spanish colonial-style architecture,” said Peter Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of UCLA housing and hospitality services.
The project was approved by the UC Board of Regents in November 2007, Averill said.
Approval of the design of the project was finalized in March 2008.
“The buildings, as you know, are very old, and the university needed to either put into effect and do major renovations or redevelop,” said Michael Foraker, special assistant for housing planning and development. “We chose to redevelop.”
Averill said the demolition phase of the project ““ as they get rid of the Hilgard Houses ““ which are currently unoccupied, will last four months.
“It could take that long, but we sort of doubt that they will,” he said. “Then the main construction of the project will be with a separate contractor, and we anticipate starting sometime in January.”
Construction of the project is scheduled to take approximately 17 months.
“We want them to be ready for fall occupancy in fall 2010,” he said. “Especially because it’s graduate housing, and some graduate students start earlier, so they should be ready end of summer to the beginning of fall of that year.”
A meeting was held on Tuesday to allow residents of the neighboring housing to voice their concerns and ask questions.
Some residents, including representatives from Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Alpha Phi sorority and several residents on Malcolm Avenue, expressed concern about the noise that would be generated during demolition and construction.
Averill said they will be restricting the work to business hours.
“The contract will not allow work to occur except between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. during weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays,” he said.
No construction will occur on Sundays.
Two residents, who live directly behind one of the current Hilgard Houses, expressed concern that a tree on the border of their property would be ruined.
But Foraker said they have hired an arborist to assess the individual trees that could be negatively impacted, and the university is doing everything possible to protect them on a one-by-one basis.
“I think for the most part the neighborhood and our neighbors on that side of campus are favorably disposed to this project,” Foraker said. “When we are finished with this project, each of these sites will be improved from their current state.”
Foraker said UCLA governmental relations attempted to reach each of the adjacent community members and sorority houses to make sure they were informed about ““ and welcome to attend ““ the meeting regarding the construction.
“We really want to do as good a job as we can to give the information we do have, and we want to be proactive working with our neighbors,” he added.
The project, he said, is funded as part of the campus housing system.
“It will be financed by housing, and essentially there are bonds issued that are repaid through the income that the housing system gathers from rents,” Averill said.
Graduate students will be charged about the same amount as the Weyburn apartments, he said.
Financially and aesthetically, the best option is to rebuild, he said.
“I think the Hilgard Houses are three of the worst on Hilgard,” said Averill, who also lives on the 800 block of Malcolm Avenue, on the eastern side of campus. “The objective is to reinforce and strengthen Hilgard.”