Redwood Hall is getting a makeover.
For weeks the exterior south side of the building has been under renovation.
A new sports mural, tram stop, and landscape refurbishment project are all part of an effort to update Redwood Hall’s image.
Art students submitted designs for the public sports mural for Redwood Hall.
Out of the top four submissions, one was chosen to go on the mural.
Physical Plant Management director Tom Brown describes the mural as having “the opportunity to become a new landmark for the college. It is something that we expect to generate a buzz around the community. The mural is a unique (form of art) that will be available to publicly be viewed by the community. It will make the college stand out and make its presence known.”
Ruth Ann Anderson, art professor, said the mural is a welcome addition to the CSUN campus.
“Public art is an integral part of a community’s development,” she said. “Away from the sanctifying protection of the museum, it can create a public debate and stimulate an expanded vision of the community. It has an ability to instigate dialogue among the diverse members of a community,” said Ruth Ann Anderson, Art department professor.
“The (sports) wall looks cool,” Wendy Valladares, third-year graphic arts major, said. She added that the student involvement in the project is a good idea.
“Plus, the whole project, with them creating actual landscape out there ? is a good thing. It’ll make that side of the school look better and now with the sports-type drawings on that corner, you can kind of a figure out that that building is an athletic one,” Valladares said.
The mural was part of an effort to make Redwood Hall more identifiable, said Howard Garcia, event manager of the Athletics Department.
“Basically there is no signage that identifies the complex as the athletics building,” Garcia said. “It just says ‘Redwood Hall.’ So the idea was to create something that would identify this complex as the Athletics Department.”
The project was helmed by a committee of five members, including Dave Moon, chair of the Art Department, and Brown. The initial proposal for the graphics arts wall was first discussed in September, Brown said.
From there, the initial idea of improving Redwood Hall grew, and the tasks that they would undertake were finalized and approved by various executive and administrative department officials, such as the sports and exercise counsel. Once the plans were approved, they formed a committee with people from PPM and the Art and Athletics departments to oversee the project, Brown said.
“It was a joint effort (in getting the project underway) from the folks at PPM to all the various individuals that did some heavy lifting and promoting of this proposal,” Brown said.
In addition to providing Redwood Hall with an athletics theme signage, the make-over will provide a sprucing up.
Where once weeds lined the building, new trees and grass are being planted.
“We never had any landscape … just some four-feet tall weeds that made the building look like an eyesore,” Garcia said.
“It’s been hard work in the last couple of weeks, but in the end this place will look much better than it did before,” said David Rodriguez, a construction worker, who is working on the landscape refurbishment.
Other changes to Redwood Hall’s south side include a new tram stop with additional street lighting. While the Matador tram has been stopping at the corner of Jacaranda Walk since Fall 2004, there has never been a proper “bus stop.” And now that too is about to change as part of the landscape refurbishment project.
“We’re essentially creating a bus stop,” Garcia said. Students will now have benches to sit on while waiting for the tram, he said.
“I like that we’re getting a real bus stop with a place to sit other than the grass,” said Miriam Richards, a second-year kinesiology major.
Additionally, “new lighting around that area is being installed,” Garcia said.
The lack of lighting in that area has been a safety concern for some students.
“There was never any real lighting in that area, and sometimes when you’re waiting for the tram in that corner in the evening when it’s dark, it is a little scary,” said Tamara Braun, a second-year undeclared student.
“But now there will be more lighting, which is good because this corner can be isolated late in the afternoon, so now you will be able to see your surroundings more clearly,” she said.
The renovation of Redwood Hall started six weeks ago and is expected to be completed by this semester’s commencement, Brown said. At that time, the college hopes that the mural will stand out and make its presence known, he said.
