Come on in

For years, motorists on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive saw the back of buildings as they passed Case Quad, many unaware that a college stirred on the other side. Soon, the university will offer a new look to its neighbors to the west.

The Interdisciplinary Science and Engi-neering Building, which officially opens in October, includes a street-level entrance on MLK. What’s more, designers have blazed a path between ISEB and Tomlinson Hall to create the Tinkham Veale Gateway, offering an inviting passage to the Quad.

“That totally opens the Quad to the community,” said Dean Tufts, the university’s vice president for campus planning and facilities management. “Now what they are going to see is a beautiful gateway, all the way to Adelbert Hall.”

The path was made possible by a $20 million gift from the Veale Foundation, which honors the late industrialist Tinkham Veale II ’37.

His namesake gateway required some nifty engineering. The 12,000 square foot path rises about 21 feet from MLK to the Quad. Contractors used huge geofoam blocks to minimize the need for fill, in-stalled ADA-compliant switchback ramps and stairs, and laced the concrete with a snowmelt system—hydronic piping—to make it all weather.

Once the gateway is finished, contractors will start on the Crawford Corner project. Plans calls for creating a park-like setting at MLK and Euclid Avenue, next to Crawford Hall. New sidewalks and landscaping will tie the park to the Tomlinson Hall patio and the Veale Gateway, creating a whole new impression on a prominent corner.