More than 120 faculty, staff and UCCS community members enjoyed food, drink and live music as UCCS Conference Services unmasked the renovated Berger Hall Feb. 8 during a Mardi Gras themed showcase for event planners.
Originally the University Center gymnasium, Berger Hall was remodeled to serve as a space for large campus events and conferences in 2010. The latest renovation began on Dec. 1, 2012 and was completed on Jan. 31.
New features include refinished hardwood floors, a 27-foot-by-10-foot screen, built in stage, lighting and sound, dropped ceilings, catering entrance on both sides, and a hallway that connects to the Gallogly Event Center from the University Center’s locker rooms.
According to Megan Bell, director, University Center and Conference Services, before the renovations Berger Hall still felt like a gymnasium.
“With campus enrollment growing we needed to have a state-of- the-art ballroom that could really showcase our notable events for students, staff, faculty and the community,” Bell said. “This space truly highlights the direction our campus is headed.”
According to Bell, the original gymnasium floors were used in the renovation as part of the university’s sustainability efforts.
“The lines were stripped and then it was refinished,” she said.
The ballroom was renamed Berger Hall in 2010 in recognition of James C. Berger, a principal in Col-Terra Investments, Ltd., BVR Investments, and numerous other businesses in Colorado Springs. Berger, a former member of the CU Real Estate Foundation Board, has assisted with several UCCS real estate transactions and plans to establish a student scholarship program for low-income, high-potential students at UCCS.
Photos from the unmasking event follow:
– Photos by Philip Denman
This is beautifully redone and will be a glorious asset to UCCS. I’m grateful that my father, Jim Berger, had this Hall named for him in 2010. He believes that every individual benefits from a college education: thus he provided an excellent educational opportunity for each of his four children. In addition to educating his own children he assisted six nieces and nephews with their tuition needs. Then, with a joyful heart, went on to help educate the next generation. Six of his eleven grandchildren have either obtained bachelor’s degrees or are in the process of earning them. The remaining five will follow in the next few years because of the loving efforts of their grandfather. Many UCCS students have benefitted, either directly or indirectly,through Jim’s hard work and devotion to CU. I hope that each student, as he or she passes through Berger Hall, will be mindful of the dedication and sacrifice Jim Berger has made to the CU community and be grateful to all those who have worked so diligently to see that all who desire an education would receive one.