After being silent the past four years, chimes are once again sounding every quarter hour on the University at Buffalo's South Campus. The bells were restored as part of the renovation of Hayes Hall.
Hayes Hall is the home of UB's School of Architecture and Planning. After the School of Medicine completes its move downtown in 2017, the School of Social Work and Graduate School of Education will move to the South Campus.
UB Vice President Laura Hubbard says an effort is underway to make the campus off Main Street into a "Center of Professional Education."
"If you think about the move of the medical school downtown, that will take about 1,300 people with it. So moving those two schools here will not only be an important part of our engagement with the community, but also bring about 1,500 faculty, students and staff to repopulate the South Campus," Hubbard said Monday.
"The North Campus is the home of most of our undergraduate programs. Each campus has its own purpose and distinct character. The South Campus is very important to the future of the university."
Hubbard says UB's vision for the South Campus includes restoring the historic campus to the original vision laid out by architect EB Green, which includes making it more approachable and pedestrian friendly.
UB has invested more than $40 million in improvements on the South Campus in recent years.