University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law students, faculty, staff and alumni will celebrate the topping off of the new $46 million Wolf Law Building on Sept. 22 at 10:30 a.m. with a ceremonial signing of the last beam to be placed on top of the structure.
The 178,000-square-foot building, constructed in the neo-Tuscan style that marks the architecture of the CU-Boulder campus, is scheduled for completion in June 2006. Law Dean David Getches will lead the ceremony.
The building is named for the late Leon and Dora Wolf, parents of Marvin, Melvin and Erving Wolf, who, with their spouses, were the lead donors.
The new building is unique in a couple of ways, according to Getches. It is financed largely by student fees and is being built to meet environmentally friendly "green building" standards.
"This is a new high for the law school literally and figuratively," said Getches. "It is tangible evidence of what we are achieving through the generosity of our private supporters and of the students at the University of Colorado."
Two years ago, the law school was close to losing accreditation due to the Fleming Law Building's poor condition. But last year the University of Colorado Student Union stepped in and approved a bill to assess all full-time students a fee to retire $21 million in bonds that are helping to finance construction of the school.
Attending the ceremony will be law student Brian Mason, one of several students responsible for drafting the student government legislation to pay for the building's funding.
"We're all extraordinarily proud of this new building," said Mason. "With the state facing a financial crisis, CU students stepped up to fill the void and this building will be their legacy for years to come."
The building is believed to be the only public building at a major public research university in the United States to be financed largely through student fees.
The "green building" standards require that 100 percent of the electricity for the new buildings come from renewable resources, making CU-Boulder's building requirements some of the most environmentally sound in the country.
The school still needs to raise $3.1 million by the time the building is completed.
The finished building will have 18 state-of-the-art classrooms and about 75 faculty and administrative offices spread over five floors in an L-shaped structure. It will feature a 250-seat courtroom and a 42,047-square-foot research library. The Fleming Law Building, built in 1957, was expected to accommodate up to 250 law students. Enrollment is now over 500 students.