Planned Maintenance to Sydney Lewis Hall Expected to Begin May 22 The project will require periodic modifications to pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area.

By Brian Laubscher
May 18, 2023

Washington and Lee University will be conducting several improvements to the campus buildings and infrastructure starting this summer, and the first of these projects will involve the exterior maintenance of Sydney Lewis Hall, home of the W&L School of Law.

The Lewis Hall efforts are expected to begin Monday, May 22, and involve a full replacement of the 59,000-square-foot roof. This work also includes the replacement of more than 1,000 solar panels. The existing panels will be repurposed for a more efficient system compatible with the new roof. The university will also perform repairs to the exterior brickwork in many areas, along with numerous improvements to the landscaping environment surrounding the building. The work will require the removal of a number of trees, including three within the courtyard areas. These trees are negatively affecting the building’s foundation, brick, roof and performance of the solar panels. It is important to note that throughout the construction projects that will support the campus master plan, new trees will be planted around campus in numbers exceeding those that are to be removed.

The roof replacement and brick repairs are expected to be completed by the start of the Law School’s Spring Semester. The new solar panel system and landscaping improvements will be scheduled once design efforts are finalized.

What will be the impact of these planned improvements?
The law school will experience modified pedestrian and vehicle traffic patterns affecting sidewalk and street access to the building throughout the course of the project. Faculty, staff and students should expect that there will be “contractor only” areas and all individuals are instructed to obey the wayfinding signage around Lewis Hall.

Similarly, campus community members should expect to utilize a side entry to the building for a period of 1-2 days while landscaping work occurs in the front courtyard area.

Parking and driving access directly to Lewis Hall will also be modified during the project. The access road that loops past the natatorium to the loading dock of the law school will now feature two-way traffic. This is a result of gated areas that allow for a single entry and exit point from each of the attached parking lots. Due to the two-way traffic, parallel parking will no longer be supported on the access road during the renovations.

Occasionally, construction and landscaping activities will occur to the side of Lewis Hall along East Denny Circle. When this work occurs, vehicular traffic may be disrupted by flaggers who will regulate the traffic.

For continuous updates to this project or the many others that the university is undertaking as part of its master plan, please visit the Capital Projects update page on the University Facilities website.