Interior and exterior renovations, guided by Susan Maxman & Partners, transformed historic Old Main at Kutztown University into a popular place on campus.

Dr. Robert Hamilton, treasurer of Lebanon Valley College, says many of the original buildings on the school's Annville campus were torn down in the '50s and '60s and replaced with new buildings because it was considered cheaper to do so then. "Sometimes we wish we had them back," he laments.

Colleges and universities are paying more attention to preserving tradition by saving and re-using historic buildings, but it requires a balancing act. "It's balancing capital costs versus historic integrity, versus educational programming," says Bob Hotes, an associate with the Philadelphia architectural firm of Susan Maxman & Partners. "We have found you can renovate these historic structures for certainly less than building a new structure, and you can do it in a way that is compatible with the historic significance, and in a way that is cost effective."

Hotes should know. Susan Maxman & Partners won a 1998 state preservation award for guiding the rehabilitation of Old Main at state-owned Kutztown University in Kuztown, PA. The $23 million project involved a complete interior renovation (new mechanical and electrical systems, new plumbing, new lighting, and new fire-protection systems) and exterior renovation (new slate roof, repainting), all done in a way that respected the historic character of the campus landmark.

The oldest part of the building-it has eight separate wings-dates back to the 1860s, making it the oldest surviving building in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Hotes says it was "clearly historic" but had never been listed on the National Register of Historic Places or any state or local register, and he notes that's not uncommon. "In many cases, universities do not seek designation because then there are regulatory constraints and procedures they have to follow."

The 300,000-square-foot building is the busiest on campus, housing dorm rooms, administrative offices, classrooms, an auditorium, a public-safety office, and music rooms. "The university couldn't live without the building completely, so it was done over two and a half years," Hotes explains. "It was quite a logistical procedure moving in and out. The construction schedule was based on the academic schedule."

Hotes says everybody on campus seemed to have been pleased by the results. "They were amazed that we took a building that had been cut up and renovated badly [in the past] and gave them back something they are immensely proud of. It was the last place students wanted to live or faculty members wanted to have an office. Now it's the most popular place to have a dorm room or an office."

Tim Noble's firm, Noble Preservation Services, Inc., in Zionsville, a consultant on the restoration of the state capitol, won a 2000 state preservation award for its work on the restoration of Irvine Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The $12 million project included modification of the acoustics in the 1926 structure, removal of a section of balcony, new lighting, and repair and cleaning of 680 decorative ceiling panels.

Like Hotes, Noble stresses the importance of blending historic preservation with a school's programming needs. "If you can't get [a preservation project] to fit your programming requirements, you're better off building new," he says. The cost-benefit equation can go either way. In the case of Irvine Auditorium, he notes, it would have cost two or three times more to duplicate its functions in a new building. But had the school needed a facility with a much-increased seating capacity, the equation might have favored new construction.

Noble notes, "you tend to find very important buildings" on college campuses because many schools over the years have hired "enlightened designers." He says older college buildings tend to have "great design and great materials" and you're often dealing with "a substantial shell with lots of great features you can't afford to replicate."

He thinks historic preservation is a "great marketing tool" with alumni who usually harbor "vivid and strong memories of when they were in those structures." In that regard, he says, the appeal of historic preservation combines "romance and practicality."