Winter temperates have certainly arrived this week in Elon. But a little chilliness – it was 19 degrees at 8 a.m. today – has not stopped progress at Dwight C. Schar Hall. In fact, you can actually see a “window” into the future. Yes, the locations of the windows are now evident with the wall studs in place on the second floor.

For the construction crew’s sake, let’s hope the temperatures start climbing!

Want to know an afternoon guilty pleasure of ours? Grabbing a peek of the ever-changing Schar Hall. This afternoon crews continued work on the steel structure that will support Snow Family Grand Atrium.

Thanks to Phi Psi Cli, the university’s yearbook, for letting us grab this shot from the organization’s office in the Priestley Building.

And a tip of the cap to Senior Lecturer Randy Piland for sharing these closeups of the crew at work.

With a vibrant sun in the background, Dwight C. Schar Hall and McEwen Communications Building were connected on Jan. 12 by steel for the Snow Family Grand Atrium. This well-timed and well-positioned photograph comes from Associate Professor Vic Costello.

One of the benefits of working near Schar Hall is seeing the construction progress made throughout the day. On the morning of Jan. 11, Snow Family Grand Atrium was just a few holes and footers. By the end of the workday, steel was rising two stories into the air.

The new year has brought new additions to the site of Dwight C. Schar Hall. Construction workers have started laying cinder block around the perimeter, installing wall studs on the second floor, and preparing the foundation/footers for the Snow Family Grand Atrium.

The atrium, a two-story glass structure, will include a large video screen that will feature student productions and daily world news broadcasts. It is named for David and Lynette Snow, parents of Lauren Snow ’16, a current Elon communications student.

Special thanks to Vic Costello, associate professor in the School of Communications, for the construction images.

On the same day Winter Term 2016 began, construction crews poured concrete for the main floor of Dwight C. Schar Hall. We certainly don’t want to wish away the spring semester, but we’re quite excited for what this new building will bring to the School of Communications and Elon University beginning in August 2016.

The fall 2015 semester might be in the books, but construction continues at Dwight C. Schar Hall. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, and Wednesday, Dec. 16, a new section of steel beams began rising from the east side of the building. This new section – highlighted in red on the map below – will house a new dean’s suite, among other rooms, on the building’s first floor.

It’s hard not to daydream about the future when looking out the window of McEwen 110. Hopefully, the weather will finally let up – it has too, right? – and the construction crews will continue making Schar Hall a reality.

For those of us who call McEwen Communications Building home, we often only see the Schar Hall expansion from Williamson and Lebanon avenues. Thanks to Gabie Smith, interim dean of Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences, we have a new perspective to share. Smith snapped this image on Nov. 11 from the second floor of Long Building. And it’s been confirmed: the School of Communications’ future looks bright from this viewpoint, too!

This week crews began backfilling Schar Hall’s basement walls with dirt from Mt. McEwen. As unlikely as it seems, some around here had grown fond of the mountainous pile of dirt – giving it a nickname probably didn’t help. But, alas, we are thrilled to see the progress of the new School of Communications facilities.

In fact, the work at Schar Hall has gone aerial – see the photos above! During the late afternoon of Oct. 22, workers could be seen scaling the steel frame, securing beams that will support the building’s second floor and roof.