Making Space

…For the World’s Best Chiropractors

It’s a quiet Friday afternoon in February. Palmer’s main campus is mostly winding down—it’s past 5 p.m., and students and faculty have headed home for the weekend. However, the lights are still on in College Provost Dan Weinert, D.C., Ph.D.’s office. He fires off a quick text message to Dennis Marchiori, D.C., Ph.D., chancellor and CEO.

“Meet you in the Learning Commons?”

“See you there in 10 min,” Dr. Marchiori quickly replies.

This has become a weekly ritual for the two. “Whenever I want to end the week on a positive note, I take a walk through the space,” Dr. Weinert says. “Which really means that I make sure to stop here every week before heading home for the weekend.”

The finishing touches are underway on what will be called the David D. Palmer Learning Commons, a revolutionary $10.2 million undertaking for the College’s Fountainhead campus in Davenport—a complete renovation of one of the College’s most historic spaces at the top of Brady Street Hill.

Designed by RDG and Studio 483 Architects, it’s an impressive 22,270 square feet of sleek, thoughtful space that’s part of a larger initiative to enhance the student experience at Palmer College of Chiropractic.

When all is said and done, more than $35 million in projects will be completed, including the R. Richard Bittner Athletic & Recreation Center, Trevor V. Ireland Student Clinic, and the Bruce & Bethel Hagen Student Union in the Quad Cities. Yes, the Fountainhead of chiropractic is transforming substantially each year, further solidifying its position as the place for chiropractic education.

Dr. Marchiori recognizes two important sources for Palmer’s recent success. “Simply put, these projects would not be possible without the generosity of our alumni and friends,” said Dr. Marchiori. “And then, there’s board of trustees, who have a resolute vision and culture, and demonstrate exceptional leadership. They continually challenge the administration and broader Palmer community to execute our collective vision to its fullest potential. Our recent, current and future campus projects are all inspired by the board’s vision and fueled by the Palmer community’s dedication and commitment to serve our mission.”

Winding through the 76 study spaces, coffee shop, otherworldly glass atrium and sculptural staircase, both Dr. Weinert and Dr. Marchiori look awestruck. It’s true, they’ve seen the space before (many times), but with each subsequent visit, the duo sees additional progress and realizes milestones that have been reached.

“I’ve joked that I’ve undergone an architectural apprenticeship,” says Dr. Weinert. “When we designed and first broke ground on this project, I didn’t fully comprehend the magnitude of how large and dominating this space would be. And now, I’m so appreciative to have had the chance to be involved in the space-planning process from inception to near completion.”

Re-envisioning Student Life
The original vision for the David D. Palmer Learning Commons was to create a facility that celebrates the building’s existing structure—some elements of which are more than 100 years old—while integrating modern components that mesh with the shifting realities of modern student life, such as spaces for collaborative learning, a new library, and a hands-on technique lab.

“There’s nothing typical about what we’re creating here,” says Dr.Weinert. “Of course, you’ll have your classrooms and both private and group study areas, but we’ve gone above and beyond that. There will be adjusting rooms, an entire IT center, a café, and as you can see, tons of space for students and faculty to connect with one another.”

“Don’t forget to mention that this is so much more than a brand-new facility. Throughout the space, form follows the function of learning; that approach can be seen in brand-new chiropractic tables for hands-on skill development, study rooms with monitors and access to 3D4Medical and our learning management system for collaboration, social spaces for fellowship, and more windows, campus connectivity, and 100-year old architecture than we could even dream of designing were we just starting from scratch,” Dr. Marchiori adds emphatically.

“Yes, all that too. This isn’t just a student learning space. It’s a student living space. We wanted the on-campus experience to be extraordinary. We wanted to push back against the irony of offering a health degree that requires students to sit in chairs all the time. You can really live a healthy life that way,” explains Dr. Weinert.

The result, as is being wonderfully realized more and more each day, is a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a communal gathering space for collaborative learning and practice that’s accessible beyond traditional classroom hours. With an open, airy feel punctuated by floor-to-ceiling glass windows, design elements communicate with one another and contribute to an overall symmetry that will facilitate traffic flow.

Dr. Marchiori, with his hard hat donned, gestures toward the eastern corner of the first floor. “The design is very intuitive. This large arch, for example, visually connects with Friendship Court and the Administration Building. And those arches over there will create an atrium that connects with our centrally-located classrooms above,” he explains.

Creating Space for Optimal Human Function
Chiropractors recognize that the human body has innate intelligence, and that their job is to remove interference that may inhibit the full expression of human potential. Part of this means creating optimal conditions for the body to be a healthy entity. That said, the last thing chiropractors want to do is place obstacles in the way of achieving wellness.

“If you really think about the wellness mindset, it can also apply to the student learning experience,” says Dr. Marchiori.

“We’ve had to ask ourselves throughout this project, ‘What are some typical obstacles to optimal student learning and student life?’ One is not facilitating student collaboration outside of classrooms; another is not having access to spaces that allow you to comfortably study, or spaces that are large enough and centrally located to be convenient throughout the day,” says Dr. Weinert. “Thankfully, the Learning Commons will leave no room for such obstacles.’’

To say the David D. Palmer Learning Commons allows students to live and learn unlike anything else would be accurate—but not complete. The project also sends a message to the broader chiropractic community, one that does justice to the iconic statement that’s inscribed above the Brady Street entrance to the century-old B.J. Palmer Classroom Building: Enter to learn how.

“Palmer College is on the move,” says Dr. Marchiori. “We’re preparing our people, programs, and facilities for the future so that we can continue to produce the best chiropractors in the world. In the spirit of its namesake, The Educator, David D. Palmer, this facility is a haven for learners and their education.”

Beyond being a space that students and faculty alike will want to spend time in, the Learning Commons shows that Palmer cares about its community, the chiropractic profession, and the overall well-being of human beings.

“This project supports the center of our mission: our students. It’s space for them, after all,” says Dr. Weinert.

On the second floor, Dr. Marchiori and Dr. Weinert take a moment to look around. The sun is beginning its hazy descent into the Davenport horizon. In a few short weeks, all construction equipment will be gone, and the College will begin the daunting task of ridding the space of dust and debris. The College will then make the finishing touches: moving in purple and gold furniture, adding some David D. Palmer artwork and artifacts, setting up lab equipment, and hooking up all technology.

“We’re so close to realizing a multiyear project and another step toward a full restoration of the Fountainhead of chiropractic,” Dr.Weinert says with a smile.

He’s right, and for the students at Palmer College as well as the entire chiropractic community, this project is sure to be one that will serve so many for generations to come.

Honoring History With a Modern Flair
The Learning Commons is a special project for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is its use of historic arches. During the project’s planning phase, the Quad-Cities based architect, Melissa Morse, unexpectedly discovered the original, 100-year-old Palmer arches that were part of the building’s first blueprints overseen by B.J. Palmer—the son of the founder of both Palmer College and chiropractic.

Affecting in stature, yet refined thanks to precise brickwork, the arches have arguably guided the entire project, offering focal points, flair, and a sense of sophistication that harkens back to the College’s founding.

“It was a complete surprise to find these arches,” says Dr. Marchiori. “We were in a planning meeting when Melissa interrupted us to share the news.”

The arches were originally used along the building’s exterior, and over the course of 50 years were covered by additional construction as the campus grew. Given the significant value of the arches from both design and historic standpoints, Studio 483 Architects made the decision to work them into the Learning Commons’ central glass atrium, which will operate as the building’s centerpiece.

As Dr. Marchiori and Dr. Weinert continue to walk through the atrium, they stop at yet another exquisite element—a 23-ton iron staircase, crafted in the architecture of essential elements similar to the spine.

“These design elements resonated from true spinal anatomy, which is what makes this staircase so important to Palmer,” says Dr. Marchiori.“It connects closely to our mission and, really, the spirit of who we are,” Dr. Weinert adds. The two tend to finish each other’s sentences as if they both know what the other is thinking—and in a sense, they do, having worked together on this project for so long.

“I can just imagine students coming across the skywalk and then making their way down this staircase in awe,” says Dr. Marchiori.

Snaking upwards toward the second-floor classrooms, the staircase went through many iterations before its current design was decided upon. Today, it stands alongside two ribcage sculptures that offer another focal point.

Heading up the staircase, the two men pause to take in the view; there’s a particular perspective this angle offers, distinguished by a succession of arches.“It’s just arch after arch after arch here,” says Dr.Weinert.

“It’s really quite expansive. The whole space feels monumental, especially given the ceiling height. I get a similar feeling when I enter the building through one of the arches and look at the staircase from there.”

Above, the evening’s sunset lingers—bright oranges and pinks are dotted with clouds. Leaking through the ceiling’s skylights, the light sends illuminated rectangles across the floor. Outside, one can see fountains surrounded by landscaping.

“When those fountains are turned on in springtime, colored lights will be activated in the water—yellow, purple, and so forth. That’ll display a cycling of colors that’s just going to floor anyone who’s sitting next to these windows,” says Dr. Weinert. “It’ll be a show-stopper moment for folks.”

In many ways, a whole new kind of show will begin when the David D. Palmer Learning Commons opens this spring, one in which students will take center stage in a production that’s been carefully built for them—and for their future.

Since this article went to print, the David D. Palmer Learning Commons opened to students, faculty and staff. The space will be dedicated and open for tours during Palmer’s Homecoming, September 16-18, 2021.