Construction on the visitor center and museum proposed for Syracuse University’s Crouse-Hinds Hall has been put on hold for the third time since its announcement in May 2008.

After several delays, construction was slated to begin on the Couri Visitor Center and Museum this spring. But a dismal giving season, coupled with the weak national economy, has stalled the project, said Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs at SU.

SU is searching for external funds, in addition to the original $2 million donation from alumni John and Elaine Couri, for the center to be implemented as originally envisioned, Quinn said.

‘The original gift was made with the understanding that it likely would not cover the full project and more external money would need to be raised,’ he said. ‘Since it was announced, the fundraising and giving atmosphere has gotten a lot more difficult given the economy.’

The university maintains an ongoing conversation with the Couris about the center, Quinn said. John Couri has been chairman of the Board of Trustees since 2004. He is the president of the Couri Foundation Inc., which operates youth programs for underprivileged children, and the president of the Ridgefield Senior Center Foundation Inc., which serves the local senior population in Connecticut, where he and his wife live.

The Couris could not be reached for comment.

Quinn could not provide a start date for the center or say how much money SU needs to raise to begin construction because the project remains in the planning and development phase. He also could not say if any of the needed money has been raised yet.

The university has no plans to scale back the center’s design or development, Quinn said, despite the delay and need for additional funds.

Fiedler Marciano, an architecture firm based in New York City, has worked closely with SU on the development of the project, said Martin Marciano, firm architect and SU alumnus, in an e-mail.

The firm is also working with Thomas Walsh, executive vice president of advancement and external affairs at SU. Walsh could not be reached for comment.

The center was originally going to be built in November 2008. Development expansions and a lack of funds pushed construction back to spring 2010. But the center still needed funds last spring, and the project was delayed another year.

In the three years since the project was announced, SU has expanded its mobile technology, applications and social media presence. Given these changes, the university is looking to focus the center’s design elements on engaging campus visitors — with guided tours, for example — through these devices, Quinn said.

‘We think, as a result of advances in technology, the center can be more dynamic to visitors than before,’ he said.

Design studio Guillin+Merrell is creating exhibits for the center that will include interactive kiosks, calendars, maps and timeline displays with information and history about SU. College of Visual and Performing Arts alumni Susan Merrell and Judy Vannais, who is a consultant, are creating the content for the exhibits. Merrell and Vannais could not be reached for comment.

Built in 1983, Crouse-Hinds stands eight stories high with two four-story wings. It includes 97 offices, as well as the chancellor’s and admissions offices, 12 classrooms and an auditorium. Approximately 35,000 visitors pass through the area every year, Quinn said.

The center and museum will occupy the basement and part of the first floor atrium of Crouse-Hinds, which are currently filled with lounge and open space for students and visitors.

‘We get tens of thousands of visitors a year to the university, and the bulk of them come through Crouse-Hinds,’ Quinn said. ‘This is perceived as an important welcoming point, so we want to make sure we get it right.’

blbump@syr.edu

Published on February 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm