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Portland’s Fortis Construction and Hennebery Eddy Architects are at work on an extensive, $10.5 million renovation of the University of Oregon‘s Chapman Hall.

The historic building on the Eugene campus was built in 1939 to house the university’s bookstore and humanities departments. It’s now home to the Robert D. Clark Honors College, with a large lecture hall and several smaller classrooms.

Crews will upgrade Chapman Hall’s building systems, including heating, ventilation, electrical, plumbing and lighting, according to the university. Work also will involve interior partition revisions and material enhancements.

The project is in the design phase. Design completion is targeted for July 1, and project completion is expected on Dec. 1, 2017.

The renovations are being paid for via $5.5 million in deferred maintenance X-bonds, $2.5 million in state G-bonds and a $2.5 million donor-matching grant, according to the university.

Chapman Hall, designed by Ellis Lawrence, features concrete walls and brick veneer. It’s among the historic buildings that front Memorial Quad.

Oregon’s public universities are hotbeds of construction activity. A major expansion is under way at Oregon State University‘s Cascades campus in Bend, while Portland State University is planning a new multiuse arena called Viking Pavilion as well as potential renovations to Smith Memorial Student Union.

The University of Oregon is also planning to renovate Dean Hall and build a $35 million, 50,000-square-foot College and Careers Building. Willie and Don Tykeson of Eugene in 2014 presented a $10 million lead gift for the College and Careers Building.

Fortis Construction is also leading construction management and general contracting for bond-funded projects at Portland Community College‘s Rock Creek campus. Shane Kucera, spokesman for Fortis, said that more than 80 percent of the firm’s projects are CM-GC builds.