A New Chapter: Extensive Berkeley Center Renovations are Complete

Monday, November 18, 2024

Berkeley Divinity School at Yale is in the final, difficult stages of raising $6 million for the Berkeley Center Renewal. The seminary considers this project to be an investment in the future of residential seminary education. Already, the renewed spaces have attracted students and leaders from across the Anglican Communion, and they have become a home for our burgeoning programs. The Transforming Leaders initiative will host The Leader’s Way this June in the Berkeley Center; the Annand Program for Spiritual Direction has already begun offering spiritual wayfinding and spiritual formation groups to students in the house.

Garden Level

The floor that boasts of the greatest transformation is the Garden Level. What was formerly a basement, comprised of one small apartment and cluttered storage, has become something incredible. A new, 2,400-square-foot terrace makes outdoor activities possible in a whole new way. Tents, string lights, and bistro tables transformed the terrace for the Grand Re-Opening of the Berkeley Center in October. Students have gathered for a movie night and several Morning Prayer services on the terrace this fall, including the popular blessing of the animals for St. Francis’ Feast Day.

Terrace

The new terrace on the Garden Level of the Berkeley Center.

Gone are the days of flooding and mold. Here are the days of a spacious, functional level featuring three offices, a student study room, a small kitchen, vestment storage, a vestment laundry room, and a storage room.  The Garden Level also includes the Berardino Student Lounge, given by trustee Thomas Berardino and Charlene Berardino, and the Wesley-Huber Chapel, a small contemplative space given by former trustee Frances Rowland and Steve Rowland in honor of former Director of Advancement Pam Wesley Gomez and the Rev’d Steve Huber ’98 MDiv. The Garden Level is bright and welcoming, featuring a newly exposed wall whose colors recall nearby East Rock.

Photos: Tom Kutz Photography

First Floor

The entryway and St. Luke’s Chapel received minimal changes, yet they are spruced up by fresh coats of paint, elegantly integrated sprinklers, and new lighting fixtures. 

New kitchen

The new McLean Kitchen.

The showstopper of a transformation on the first floor is the remarkable upgrade of the culinary facilities to what is now known as the McLean Kitchen. The two old, small kitchens have been torn down and replaced by a new, industrial-grade kitchen that features high-quality stainless-steel appliances. A new stairway has been added to improve access. This impressive commercial kitchen, completed at an economical price of $50,000 (a mere 2% of what one trustee guessed it had cost), owes its affordability to the dedicated efforts of the Rev’d Kit S. McLean ’13 MDiv and Bill McLean. The McLeans also designed a new coffee nook adjacent to the kitchen. This versatile kitchen space empowers the hospitality ministers in their mission to feed the Berkeley community on Wednesday evenings and provide morning coffee following Morning Prayer. 

The Old Dining Room has become the Lorimer Conference Room, given by Charley Ellis in honor of trustee Linda Lorimer ’77 JD. The space has been expanded and equipped with modern electronics to facilitate conferences and events. Berkeley has already used the space for a live recording of The Leader’s Way podcast with the Rev’d Dr. William Barber as the guest. Berkeley’s board of trustees also used the space for a board meeting.

Second Floor

Before the renewal, the second floor consisted of the deanery and guest rooms which shared a bathroom. The Johnstone Deanery was rejuvenated with a fresh coat of paint, sprinklers, and new appliances due to the generosity of the Rev’d Mary Johnstone ’89 MAR and Robert Johnstone. 

View of bedroom from bathroom

New, ADA-accessible second-floor guest apartment.

The guest rooms in the Berkeley Center have been reconfigured. Now, on the second floor, there is one new, ADA-compliant guest apartment. This apartment represents an opportunity for guests from around the world to come and be present with the Berkeley Community. This apartment has already welcomed guests including Michael Weeder (retired Dean of St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town) and Dr. Bonita Bennett (director of the District Six Museum) as well as the late Robert Willis (Dean Emeritus of Canterbury) and his partner Fletcher Banner.

Third Floor

The third floor was renovated in honor of the late Julian Robertson by his sister Wyndham Robertson. The Julian Robertson Visitors’ Suite features three new ensuite bedrooms that share a kitchen and lounge. In the course of the construction project, beautiful beams were revealed, which remain exposed. Instead of housing a small number of students, the Berkeley Center will now be swipe-card accessible to the entire Berkeley community. Therefore, instead of these ensuites being used as student housing, they will be used for visiting academics, bishops, and the like.

Overall Enhancements

The comprehensive renovations also focused on improving accessibility, safety, and comfort throughout the building. An elevator now provides convenient access from the garden level to the second floor, complemented by a ramp at the front door and a gradual walkway leading to the garden level door, ensuring that the building is ADA-accessible from the garden level to the second floor. 

New staircase in the Berkeley Center

New staircase

Enhanced accessibility and security are provided by swipe card access, and a sprinkler system now covers all floors. The Berkeley Center has a completely new roof, and the entire building benefits from the installation of HVAC systems. While the Berkeley Center previously had no air conditioning, it now has complete climate control. An internal staircase with a two-hour fire rating, a feature of which the architect is particularly proud, has been added. The renovations boast high-quality finishes achieved with an acute awareness of value and budget. Additionally, the landscaping has been enhanced with a subterranean irrigation system to maintain the aesthetic appeal of the grounds.

Students are inhabiting the space and calling it home once more. In the words of Dean McGowan, “we will, with gratitude and hope, continue to worship and meet and study and pray and eat and welcome, along with many others who undertake their journey here, and do so with renewed focus and energy given the opportunities this renewed center now affords us.”

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