Brenau University has begun construction activities surrounding the imminent installation of its newest landmark - a 17-foot tall, 17-foot wide Italian marble gazebo that will serve as the gateway to the front lawn at the historic campus once work is completed in early 2009.

Designed to represent the "four portals" of liberal arts learning through which Brenau students must pass, the structure will be located at the corner of Boulevard and Washington at the entryway to the university´s central Gainesville campus. It is also designed as a symbol of the strengthened ties between the university´s plans for future evolution with the traditions of the past.

The domed gazebo with marble Italianate columns blends more with the rooflines and other architectural elements of the older buildings on the university´s "front campus." The gazebo form, too, evokes the older, more traditional gazebo that has existed for decades on the lawn behind the historic buildings.

"This structure is an excellent monument to the new beginnings we are undertaking at Brenau and to the 130 years of culture and traditions at Brenau Women´s College and Brenau University," said President Ed Schrader. "It will be a beautiful addition to the campus."

Each gazebo entryway signifies one of the "portals of learning" - world understanding; scientific and analytic curiosity; artistic and creative imagination; and communications and language fluency. Brenau already has begun implementing multi-disciplined courses based on all of the four portals as it develops new approaches to liberal arts curriculum for the future.

The new gazebo is a gift of Brenau Trustee Carole Ann Carter Daniel, a 1968 Brenau Women´s College graduate. It was conceived by Robert Rytter, president of Rytter Design of Baltimore, Md., the firm responsible for the university´s new logo and visual identity, with final design by Gainesville architect Garland Reynolds, FAIA.

Construction of the 45,000-pound gazebo requires some other adjustments on the face of the "front campus:"

-    The "Crow´s Nest," the edifice where students have marked their ascension to their senior year for more than a century, will be moved across the lawn on the front campus and will be rebuilt very near its original location and to more closely resemble the original 1905 structure. This is one of several relocations and redesigns the wooden deck-like structure has undergone in the past century.

-    The 40-year-old wrought iron and brick gates that have served as the entrance to the front campus for several years will be rebuilt leading to the repositioned Crow´s Nest. This entryway to the front campus will arch over another addition, the "heritage walk," a brick path commemorating Brenau´s history and traditions. The metalwork of the former gate, which has experienced deterioration and natural weathering, will be preserved and prominently placed for archival display. There will also be other additions in the area, including statuary by famed Georgia sculptor Gregory Johnson.

- Plans for the revitalization and improvements to the front campus also called for moving to the Brenau East Campus a feature on the tree-shaded lawn since 1989, the contemporary sculpture by Gainesville artist Ferdinand Rosa entitled "Circinius X-1." However, during disassembly, the Styrofoam sculpture of three 18-foot-long rectangular blocks proved to have deteriorated during its three decades of outdoor exposure. The sculpture was subsequently designated as structurally unsound. The university is in discussions with the artist about a replacement piece for the exterior of the Brenau East campus.

Relocation work for the Crow´s Nest began this week. Completion is expected before March 1, well ahead of the annual "Class Day" celebration in which the edifice plays a major role. According to tradition, only Brenau Women´s College seniors are allowed to climb the stairs to the Crow´s Nest. On "Class Day," the soon-to-graduate students pass ivy crowns and academic robes to their junior classmates and escort them up the stairs for the first time.

This rite of passage "remains a vital part of Women´s College and Brenau tradition," said Melissa Gardner Edge, the university alumni director. "The Crow´s Nest already has been in several locations on ´front campus,´ so this so this more permanent new structure will strengthen and reaffirm the tradition as we rebuild the Crow´s Nest closer to its original design and locate it closer to its original home."