Repairs to Wilbur Cross Limestone Will Cost U. of Connecticut $1.7-Million

Wilbur Cross Building in 1940 (U. of Connecticut photo)

The University of Connecticut will spend $1.7-million to replace cracking limestone trim on its landmark 1939 Wilbur Cross Building, which users now enter by passing under scaffolding set up to catch chunks of falling rock.

The Hartford Courant says the university plans to replace the trim with either newly cut limestone or with concrete cast to look just like it. Officials told the newspaper that the problems did not appear until after the university completed a $17.4-million renovation of the building in 2002. Opened in 1939 as the university library, the building was converted to offices during the renovation.

The university will also spend $2.6-million on repairs to another landmark, the 1915 Hawley Armory, which suffers from deteriorating brickwork.