McKay Building Replacement Project Updates

Announcements and Updates

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  August 2024 McKay Building Replacement Update at 2024 Ohana Meeting
  At the 2024 Ohana Meeting on Friday, August 30, Kevin Schlag, operations vice president, gave a campus update on the Mckay Building Replacement project to faculty and staff.
  
  “We are excited to show some amazing renderings of what these new buildings will be,” Schlag said. “President David O. McKay’s 1955 dedicatory prayer talked about how the buildings on campus should radiate light, just like the light of the Savior radiates from our students.”
  
  The McKay Building Replacement project building plans were submitted to a third-party reviewer as part of the permitting process on July 31. It is anticipated that permitting will take about one year, with construction starting summer of 2025.
  
  Renovations are underway in the Lorenzo Snow Administration Building and the Joseph F. Smith Library as accommodation is made for areas that will be demolished in the initial construction phase.
  
  “When President Romney dedicated the Aloha Center in 1973, he mentioned that the buildings should be ‘beautiful without being elaborate… functional without being drab,’” continued Schlag. “We have embedded the mission of the university in the buildings and have kept the student experience in mind. This new construction keeps these prophetic principles in mind and sets the university on the path it needs to be for the next 50 years.”
  
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  July 2024 BYU–Hawaii Mosaic Undergoes First Stages of Conservation Process
  Brigham Young University–Hawaii has called on the help of art preservationist Scott M. Haskins to oversee the de-installation of the mosaic on the front of the David O. McKay building. Under Haskins' guidance, the mosaic will be detached for safekeeping during the upcoming construction work on campus.
  
  Read the complete announcement.
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  June 2024 Renovations Coming to the Joseph F. Smith Library
  BYU–Hawaii is updating the campus to further support students in their academic journey. One major building that will undergo renovations in the near future is the Joseph F. Smith Library. The library stands at the center of every student’s life on campus. Because of its significance, BYU–Hawaii has taken various measures to ensure the library’s transition period during renovations is as seamless as possible.
  
  Read the complete announcement.
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  June 2024 Bulletin Announcement on Partition Installation for Work on Moasaic
  Beginning Wednesday, June 5 a temporary partition will be installed in front of the McKay Foyer in anticipation of the mosaic preservation work. Preservation work will begin the week of June 10, and continue until complete.
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  May 2024 Art Preservation Work Continues at McKay Foyer
  Preparation for the new McKay building project continues. The interior murals from the foyer have been preserved and are being stored for possible future use. The next phase of our preservation efforts includes the exterior mosaic. We anticipate work on the mosaic will begin in the next month. The mosaic will be removed and stored for safekeeping during the upcoming construction work.
  
  Read the complete announcement.
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  November 2023 Work on Interior Murals for Preservation

  

  

  Brigham Young University–Hawaii has initiated a preservation project on the interior murals of the McKay Foyer. The preservation process will be led by expert conservator Scott Haskins from Fine Art Conservation Laboratories. Haskins has received multiple awards in recognition of the skillful work he's done nationwide. Under his direction, state-of-the-art conservation techniques will be used to ensure long-term preservation and potential for future display.

  "These beautiful murals have been an important part of telling the story of the rise of Christianity in Hawaii and the beginnings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Islands," said Kevin Schlag, operations vice president. "We are excited to have them preserved and look forward to finding the right place to display them in the new construction."

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  August 2023 New McKay Complex Renderings Released
  As previously announced, the BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees has committed to making an unprecedented investment in the future of BYU–Hawaii. This investment will renew the university’s buildings and infrastructure for the next 50 years. The BYU–Hawaii President’s Council is grateful to be entrusted with this stewardship and committed to fulfilling it righteously. “Planning for and building the university of the future is an exciting and complex endeavor," said Kevin Schlag, operations vice president. "We are blessed to have the Board of Trustees fully engaged in discussions and decision-making at every stage of this process.”
  
  Read the full announcement and see the renderings.
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  July 2023 Official University News: Preserving the McKay Mosaic
  With approval from the BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees, BYU–Hawaii is delighted to unveil proposed plans for the new campus welcome center, which includes the preservation and display of significant portions of the McKay mosaic.
  
  This new building will be focused on Jesus Christ and tell the story of how faith in Christ and a desire to live His teachings are the foundation of our Lāʻie community. It will narrate the story of this community’s origins, the Laie Hawaii Temple, the university’s establishment, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and the ongoing demonstration of intercultural peace fostered by this community.
  
  Preserved portions of the McKay mosaic will be displayed as a significant feature of the new building. Such portions will include President David O. McKay holding the American flag, the Laie Hawaii Temple, schoolchildren gathered at the flag-raising ceremony, and the Hawaii state motto: “Ua Mau ke Ea o Ka ‘Āina i ka Pono.” The names of labor missionaries will also be added as part of this display.
  
  The welcome center will also feature important stories about the school, the community, labor missionaries, and other significant events. These stories aim to give students and visitors a deeper understanding of the prophetic vision and spiritual foundations that make this place so special.
  
  We continue to seek your feedback and ideas on stories that could be told in the new welcome center. Please share your suggestions by email to new.mckay@byuh.edu.
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  March 2023 Special Bulletin on McKay Construction and Mosaic Preservation Efforts
  I was grateful to hear our community’s voices and perspectives at Tuesday's Laie Community Association meeting. I was also grateful to briefly speak on our plans to preserve and safeguard BYU–Hawaii for the future. I want to share some thoughts to summarize and follow up on what I said there.
  
  I am deeply grateful for and enthusiastic about the unprecedented investment the Church is making in BYU–Hawaii. As a descendant of Kaleohano, who was part of the founding of this community, my love and appreciation for BYU–Hawaii, the Church, President David O. McKay, and Laie runs deep. The heritage of the Church College of Hawaii and BYU–Hawaii is profound and the mosaic on its facade is a meaningful symbol of that heritage.
  
  Although the current McKay Complex has critical structural problems and must be replaced, we are committed to preserving significant portions of the mosaic as a central feature of the new construction. The BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees has approved this approach and the planning of the new McKay building. This building will chronicle the rich heritage of Laie, the historic visit of President McKay and the flag-raising ceremony, as well as the countless contributions of students, faculty, staff, and labor missionaries, and the Church’s longtime commitment and investments, all of which have made BYU–Hawaii the treasure it is today. The new building and preservation activities will further the mission of BYU–Hawaii to prepare students of Oceania and the Asian Rim to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ and leaders in their families, communities, and chosen fields.
  
  President John S.K. Kauwe III
  
  University President
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  October 2022 Statement from the President's Council
  The university is in the design phase of replacing the McKay buildings. These buildings were built by the Church labor missionaries in the late 1950s, and they have served the campus very well for many years. However, some areas of the McKay General Classroom Building are currently not safe to use, and we need to replace all those buildings over the next few years.
  
  Replacing 40 percent of the academic space on campus while keeping the school running is quite challenging. To do that, we need to build new buildings before we can take down old ones. Part of the construction phasing is to build new buildings to the north of the existing McKay Building, which means the current McKay Foyer will then need to come down.
  
  The McKay mosaic represents one of the key foundational moments of our university, so we want to preserve it. However, it is not feasible to preserve the McKay mosaic as it is. We are looking at how best to honor the mosaic; it has been an iconic fixture of the campus since it was completed in 1958. Plans for the new McKay Complex include a welcome center, where we can tell the story of not only the 1921 flag-raising ceremony, which the mosaic represents but other historically significant moments of the school and Laie as well. The Flag Circle will be moved a little to the north to accommodate new buildings and will remain an iconic part of our campus identity.
  
  We plan to provide updates as the design process progresses. Please note that designs will only become final after approval by the BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees.