New Loyola Hall Stairs Not Standing Up to Student Use

Wear and tear is already evident on the new stairs in Loyola Hall. The school is planning to upgrade to a more durable finish.

Wire Report

Wear and tear is already evident on the new stairs in Loyola Hall. The school is planning to upgrade to a more durable finish.

Over the summer, the front stairs to Loyola Hall were replaced from the ground level up to the 2nd floor.    The replacement was deemed necessary after it was disovered that moisture underneath the stairwell had led to structural damage.

While the school  had planned to renovate the stairway surface, the need to replace the entire structure was unexpected and costly.  Peter Hendler, head of facilities at St. Ignatius placed the cost at $35,500.

While the stairwell is now structurally sound, the appearance of the stairs is of concern.   The gray stairwell is already stained from student traffic, amd students and faculty have noticed the non-slip surface of the stairwell peeling off in large sections after only two months of use.   With the wet winter months fast approaching, the problem will likely only get worse.

Hendler noted the exisiting floor was a temporary solution made necessary in order to complete the project before school started.  The school is aware of the problem and has plans to install a terrazo floor that matches the existing stairs once a contractor can be found.”