St. Herman Seminary after renovations - Summer - 2003
St. Herman Seminary received a ?face lift? over the Summer. Two work crews, one from Florida and one from Colorado worked hard to repair the wear and tear of the past thirty years. The work included installing new vinyl siding on the dormitories and administration building, pressure cleaning, varnishing and sealing the chapel, installing new stoves and a new floor in the kitchen, and remodeling the main classroom. In addition the museum that had been housed in the administration building was moved to the diocesan museum in Eklutna Village, adding new classroom space, while another room, adjacent to the library, was cleared out for classroom use and a computer lab for students to use for writing papers and conducting internet research was established in the library. The following pictures illustrate where we were at the beginning of the Summer, the progress, and the final results of everybody?s hard work.
The seminary chapel, a replica of the original church built for the missionaries in 1795, had been darkened by exposure to the elements. It was pressure-washed, varnished and sealed.
All Saints of Alaska Chapel
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The building in the most need of repair was the single student dormitory, which also houses the refectory. Much of the east-facing wall was rotted. Some areas were reinforced while others were replaced entirely. New insulation was installed as well. Like the other buildings, chipping and cracking was prominent.
Single Student Dorm / Refectory
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The exterior of this building was not the only part in need of major work. The kitchen was refurbished with a new floor and two new stoves. The old stove, set into an island in the middle of the kitchen had begun to short out toward the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year. It finally gave out entirely during the last week of classes this past Spring. The kitchen was also in desperate need of new cookware and a worktable for food preparation.
The refectory dining area was repainted and redecorated. New windows were installed in the refectory and the adjacent social room. The room in this building that had functioned as a classroom is becoming a lounge for the single students. When finished it will include a television and a computer.
To complete the new image of the seminary, the wooden walkways on campus were repainted and a new walkway was added. Also, a sign was placed on the front lawn with a planter box for flowers to be planted in the Spring.
Campus
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Panorama of the Seminary before the work was done.
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Administration Building Exterior
Much of the deck that ran the perimeter of the administration building was rotted and unsafe to walk on. It was removed as the first step toward installing vinyl siding. The building had also been suffering from chipping and cracking and some wood rot.
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| The finished Administration building |
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Main Classroom
Inside the administration building the greatest need was the remodeling of the main classroom. As shown in this picture taken during a class last year, the classroom had no windows and wood-panel walls, giving at ?cave? atmosphere. The wood paneling was removed and sheet rock was installed. Two windows were also installed to provide natural light. Furthermore, the walls were painted white and new carpet was installed. The difference is literally like night and day!
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| The finished Main Classroom |
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New Classroom
Across the hall from the main classroom the space that had housed the museum was transformed into classroom space.
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The finished NewClassroom
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Library & Classroom
The periodicals room in the library had fallen into disuse. With the generous donation of multiple computers, a student computer lab was set-up, complete with on-line access. Furthermore, another generous donation has allowed the seminary to re-establish periodicals subscriptions. Together these two improvements will help bring the seminary library into the modern age.
A side room which had been used for storage was cleared out, re-carpeted and refurbished, transforming it into a third classroom.
Married Student Dormitory
The married student dormitory was also suffering from extensive chipping and cracking.
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| The finished Married Student Dormitory |
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