The Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center was completed on schedule in August 2001. Classes began in the new law center for the fall
term. Project construction began in December 1999 after several years of planning, design, and gift development that began in 1992.
Everything that the project architect, the Washington D.C. based firm, SmithGroup, Inc., envisioned for the new law center-- intended
as a signature project-- has come to fruition. The new home of Baylor Law School, set on the banks of the Brazos River, is a beautiful,
towering, exceptionally and spacious, very finely appointed and technologically advanced law center.
A Scenic Site
The law center is set on a four and one-half acre river bank site adjacent to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Fort Fisher
complex. A gently sloping, landscaped terrace, planted in live oaks, crepe myrtles and other species, will grace the river
bank elevation of the law center, allowing the Law School community to enjoy the river bank down to the water's edge.
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A Compelling Design
The towering height and the sheer size of the facility has surprised many and drawn much pleased and enthusiastic comment. The
impressive height of the building is owing to floor to floor measurements of 17 feet compared with the 11 or 12 feet norm.
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Leon Jaworski Center
The central hall is home to the
Baylor Law Review suite, a quiet study lounge overlooking the river, and a mid-size collection area
with a semi-circular bay reading area also facing the river.
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Harold and Carol Ann Nix Academic and Advocacy Center
The east wing contains all the classrooms, courtrooms, and advocacy facilities of the law school, as ell as a social lounge for
students, the faculty suite, and other amenities, including large student locker rooms and changing rooms on the first two levels.
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Sheridan and John Eddie Williams Library and Technology Center
Each of the three levels of the west wing is occupied by the law library. The circulation, reserve, reference, and technical service
functions, as well as the offices of the library faculty and personnel, are on the first level. The library is significantly larger
than the library was at the Morrison Constitution Hall, but more importantly, it has been designed with the objective of creating the
first true technology-based library and not the law "old style" library.
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Technology Within the Law Center
Technological innovation is the hallmark of the law center, giving students and faculty member access to the best technology that can be
easily incorporated into the classroom.
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Project Cost, the Building and Endowment Campaign, Campaign and Project Oversight, and the Current Use of Morrison Constitution Hall
The construction cost of the new law center and for other project components is substantial. This cost figure includes various collateral
cost components, including architectural and consulting fees; site utility re-confirmation; furniture; fixture and equipment costs; computer
and audio-visual technology; building commissioning; landscaping; DES facilities demolition costs; moving; and campaign overhead.
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