Returning from a leave-term internship in New York, Page Wagley '09 expected the worst for her Spring term housing. Wagley, however, moved in with a friend relocating from New Hampshire residence hall, now under construction, and now shares a room in Hitchcock Hall, which re-opened last term after its remodeling.
"Everything is fabulous," Wagley said. "I have the best housing I could imagine."
Though Hitchcock is still in need of some finishing touches, such as painting and landscaping, Dean of Residential Life Marty Redman said he was happy with the results of the renovation.
"Overall, I'm pleased," Redman said. "What I hear from students is that they like it. There are some small issues, but nothing that wouldn't be expected when dealing with a -- for all intents and purposes -- new building."
Work began on New Hamp after Hitchcock's opening. The reconstruction plans include increasing the number of singles and two-room doubles while decreasing the number of triples. As a result, the building will house fewer students. While New Hamp previously had 120 beds, after construction, it will accommodate about 100 students.
Construction on New Hamp is currently on schedule and under budget, with the total cost estimated to be approximately $12.8 million, Redman said. The building may open next spring, but the date is uncertain, he added.
The three residence halls on Massachusetts Row will be the next to undergo major reconstruction. Because the dorms on Mass Row are in better condition than Hitchcock and New Hamp, the buildings will not undergo a total renovation, Redman said.
Before that project can begin, however, ORL must repay its debt from the current renovations, Redman explained.
"We try to schedule things in a way that allows us to pay for them," Redman said. "I'm in a very tight financial situation."
Redman said the Mass Row renovation will likely begin in summer 2011. Other future projects include renovating Delta Delta Delta Sorority, "sprucing up" Richardson residence hall and weighing possible sorority spaces. The dorms on Mass Row will receive new carpeting and paint this summer.
During its reconstruction, New Hamp, like Hitchcock, was completely gutted. The exterior walls are among the few components of the original structure that will remain after the building is finished. Construction crews also removed fire escapes from the buildings, replacing them with internal stair towers. In both dorms, kitchens were moved from the basements -- which were renovated to include laundry areas and more lounge space -- to the first floors.
"I despise having kitchens in the basement," Redman said. "It's dark and dank. You come down from the fourth floor to cook your ravioli and there are 17 people in the kitchen already."
ORL tried to maintain Hitchcock's and New Hamp's traditional "character" throughout the renovations, Redman said. Due to current regulations and different materials, however, the buildings lost some of their personality in the reconstruction, Redman said.
"Hitchcock had a lot of wood and dark color," Redman explained. "Unfortunately, we can't put a lot of wood back because of building codes. We tried to make it look like the old building, but it's not as antique-looking."
To maintain the buildings' charm, plans included additional color, soft light, wide hallways and as much wood as regulations would allow.
"We do everything we can to have them feel homey," Redman said.
Even though some of its personality may have been sacrificed, the new Hitchcock is better than the older version, Wagley said.
"Some of the character is lost," Wagley said, "but at the same time I would rather live here than the old Hitchcock."
Beginning in the Fall term of 2008, Hitchcock will house a number of student groups. Alpha Xi Delta sorority, which currently rents 6 Webster Avenue from the Beta Alumni Corporation, will relocate to the fourth floor of Hitchcock in the fall, as Dartmouth alumni of Beta Theta Pi fraternity begin to seek re-recognition from the College.
The French and Italian Affinity Programs will move to the first floor of Hitchcock when the International House moves to the affinity programs' current residence in McCullouch Hall in the fall. Brewster Hall, which currently houses the International House, is scheduled to be torn down. Hitchcock's second and third floors will be open to the general student body.
