A Library Grows in Baltimore

     Nearly every morning Uncle Jack and Mrs. U.J. start the day with a brisk walk through the beautiful Johns Hopkins University campus right across Charles Street from their apartment.  One day back in July they encountered something new as they climbed the hill toward the Milton Eisenhower Library---a sign announcing the forthcoming construction of a large addition to the library to be called the Brody Learning Commons.  Chain link and plastic fencing was already in place to keep students and gawkers like Uncle Jack out of trouble and earthmoving equipment was already at work.  Uncle Jack took some pictures that day and has continued to take pictures at intervals ever since.  He hopes to live long enough to follow the construction process with his camera until the building opens for business sometime in 2012 if all goes well.  It's fascinating to watch a major building project like this unfold and he marvels at the ability of the engineers in charge to plan every last detail in advance and then make it happen in the correct sequence.  Look for another set of pictures in a couple of months. (Click to enlarge the pictures).

The existing Eisenhower library (Milton was Ike's brother and president of Johns Hopkins after WWII) is at the extreme right of the architect's drawing---with the arch. The new building will be attached to the old but will mostly be underground.

One lonely shovel has begun the noisy task of knocking down an existing reinforced concrete wall.  Students and faculty are already complaining about the racket but they ain't heard nothing yet.  This was taken on July 27, 2010.

A month later a lot more equipment is on hand, a lot of earth has been moved and a drill is making holes for steel pilings.  It will drill a lot of holes in the next few weeks, hopefully in all the right places.

Meanwhile work proceeds at another level with much moving of earth and installation of infrastructure like stormwater drainpipes.

Down in the hole another section of concrete wall is hammered into submission and the amount of machinery on the premises continues to grow.

Two months after construction began the first retaining walls are beginning to appear but there's a lot more dirt to be moved as you will see.

On the upper level the drill is making big holes for big pipes and more retaining walls are under construction.

The big hole gets deeper every day and the retaining walls follow suit.  Enormous amounts of dirt have been hauled away in trucks but there is much more to come.

While the diggers have been digging other workmen have been drilling holes in the retaining walls and somehow dragging what look like electrical cables into the space.  Where they come from is a mystery to Uncle Jack.  The last of the reinforced concrete walls lies in pieces at the left. This picture was taken on October 8.

On the upper level preparations are made to pour concrete into this hole full of rebar.   What it's for is anybody's guess.

After the pour.  The first of many thousands of cubic feet of concrete that will go into the new building before it's finished.  This picture was taken on November 10.

The pit as of November 11.  How will they get that big shovel out of the hole when the time comes?  Stay tuned.