The Old Well has new accessibility features for the start of the academic year. Renovations completed over the summer include the installation of a sloped pathway that connects the surrounding brick pavers with the upper platform of the Old Well.

“The Old Well is one of the most photographed icons in our state. It brings our community together every day, and especially tomorrow when we celebrate FDOC and our tradition of the first sip,Kevin M总理. 古斯凯维奇8月8日说. 20, when the Old Well officially reopened. “Yet for decades, it hasn’t been truly accessible to every member of our community. 今天情况变了, and I am so grateful to the many people who worked together to make this possible.”

University Photographer Johnny Andrews made photos throughout the construction process and shares a look at the work that went into renovating this priceless gem.

2023年5月24日

While renovations began at the end of May, employees from UNC facilities and University contractors were planning the work months before.

2023年6月6日

Brick pavers had to be removed during the project so that the ground could be leveled before the construction of the sloped pathway, 丹尼尔·威迪斯说, University landscape architect and project manager for the renovation. The grades around the north side of the Old Well had to be raised to make the path accessible without the need for adding a formal ramp with handrails, widi说.

2023年6月8日

Ever wonder what the actual well under the Old Well fountain looks like or how deep it is? widi说 the workers who measured the depth determined the well was approximately 45 feet deep.

2023年6月9日

While the area was blocked off for construction, 暑期学校 students in the Field School in North American Archaeology class were able to check the area around the Old Well for historic artifacts. 在这张照片中, 玛丽·贝思·菲茨, 兼任助理教授, 和希瑟·拉帕姆, 兼任副教授, help direct their students during a small excavation of the soil.

2023年6月15日

Campus Surveyor Scott Rodgers used surveying equipment to locate known reference points for the Old Well drain line as renovations continued.

2023年7月11日

Work continued throughout the summer. 在七月的这一天, members of the renovation team met up to discuss the project’s progress and schedule.

2023年7月17日

By mid July, workers had moved the first granite slab into place for the new sloped pathway. 威迪斯说。. Airy granite was used to build the pathway. “The 1954 Old Well reconstruction used Mt. Airy granite throughout for the stairs and plinth,” widi说. “Continuing to use this local material was an easy decision. A key driver of the project was to make this new sloped path feel as integrated and connected to the existing Old Well as possible.”

8月. 16, 2023

Workers return the fountain to its home at the Old Well as accessibility renovations on the structure continue. 大卫Sichi, carpentry shop supervisor with UNC Facilities Services, said the solid stone fountain weighs approximately 600 pounds. 尽管喷泉又回来了, the plinth that the fountain once stood upon did not, resulting in a fountain that is slightly lower and more accessible than before.

8月. 20, 2023

One day before the start of the fall semester, the Old Well officially reopened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

凯瑟琳·索伦森04年, an assistant clinical professor in the occupational science and occupational therapy division of the UNC School of 医学, was one of several individuals to make use of the new sloped pathway.