1984-2017
L. Thomas Melly Academic Center
In 1996, construction began on the L. Thomas Melly Academic Center, extending the entire south side of the library and creating the atrium. Finished in the spring of 1998, the project increased shelf space, and added honors suites, group study rooms, and the 24-hour computer lab. One of the primary goals of the Melly Center was to expand the technological capabilities of the library, improving internet access and adding word-processing and multimedia teaching areas.
The Scissors
In the spring of 1989, Prof. Ted Aub's Three-Dimensional Design Class erected a scultpure of a giant pair of scissors in front of the library, near the Scandling Center. It was twenty feet tall and constructed out of wood. At the end of the school year, the sculpture was torn down by unknown vandals.
In November 1989, a permanent metal version of the sculpture was erected in its current location. The class issued a statement on the sculpture, part of which read:
Many discussions and arguments arose over this one piece because of its many different interpretations. Whatever these interpretations may be, it is important to understand the real intent of this sculpture. The scissors are not only interesting and exciting in a visual sense, but they also symbolize the distinct coordinate system here at the Colleges. Just as two parts of the scissors work together, so do the seperate colleges of Hobart and William Smith.
Gearan Center for the Performing Arts
In 2010, the Board of Trustees approved the building of a performing arts center on campus. The need for such a space had been discussed since the 1960s, but it was only after the highly successful Capital Campaign launched in 2006, that it was economically possible.
Construction began in 2014 and involved the demolition of several houses on Pulteney Street and the relocation of the Medbery parking lot north towards Hamilton Street. This left the Intercultural Center as the last remaining house on Pulteney Street between Hamilton and St. Clair.
Scandling Center Expansion
The summer of 2017 saw an addition to the Scandling Center. The addition was part of a larger renovation which added more student seating, flexible cooking spaces, and a new common room.