Construction Update from LSTC President James Nieman

Dear members and friends of the LSTC community:

As we look forward to the start of the fall semester, I wish to update you on our progress toward completing the fourth floor construction in our new home at 5416 South Cornell Avenue. You likely know that the east side of that floor was “refreshed” in early summer, and several key departments and employees have been working in that space ever since. The larger challenge was the west side of that floor, involving a buildout of around 12,500 square feet according to a design we created together with our architects and planners. Until that side of the floor is finished, we will be sharing office spaces and using alternative locations on CTU’s campus and elsewhere for education, collaboration, worship and social spaces. We are grateful for your patience during these changes and for CTU’s generous assistance in so many ways. Even so, I know we are eager to bring this time of transition to a close.

I am therefore glad and relieved to announce that we seem to be on track to complete the entire fourth floor by the end of September. Through the diligent efforts of our contractor and our project manager and the skillful work of many subcontractors, we hope to have final city inspections for occupancy during the first week of October. New furniture for several spaces will be installed by then, and the furniture we brought from our previous location will be moved in on 5-6 October. Boxes of personal materials (files, books, etc.) from former offices should be moved starting 9 October. This means that Reading Week (16-20 October) will be the opportune time for residents of all offices on the west side to finally move in. Classes will transfer into our new teaching spaces for the last half of the semester, starting 23 October.

Of course, there could be unexpected developments with construction, inspections, or supply chains that delay our moving in, but as of today, the signs are bright that we will meet the schedule I’ve just outlined. More detailed information will follow, but for now, I wanted you to know our likely path for the next two months. For all this, we thank God for endurance, safety, skill, care, and good humor.

James Nieman, PhD
President
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
5416 S. Cornell Avenue, fourth floor
Chicago, IL 60615