McCalla School

The historic 1907 McCalla School has been entirely re-imagined to be the interface between the public and the collections held by Indiana University. Envisioned as a place for research, display, and lecture, the building houses galleries, classrooms, a collections lab, and a large group multi-purpose room. The diverse rotating collections (including everything from fabrics and fossils to oil paintings and meteors) demanded entirely new systems, including HVAC, humidity control, electrical and technology systems, and new fire suppression—all in service of easy access and protection for the collections. An addition was constructed to connect levels one and two of the two buildings. With the different floor level heights between buildings, the connector provides horizontal and vertical circulation with stairs and a double-sided elevator. The complex configuration was an essential component to make this building accessible. The McCalla School is a favorite place for visiting scholars, IU researchers, and the public—all interested in getting a small glimpse into IU’s massive artifacts collection.

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