Once Agnew Hall comes tumbling down this summer, construction on its replacement building will begin.
The new building will feature suite-style dorms. Four rooms will make up each suite with two people sharing a bathroom. There will also be a small kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave and sink in a shared living room.
It is scheduled to open August 2011 and accommodate about 200 residents with 18 suites to each floor. Brooks Kellogg will be constructing the new building.
“The plan is to have four single bedrooms in a suite with a small kitchen which would have a refrigerator, microwave and sink, and a living room,” Faust said. “There would also be a small table with two full chairs around it. That’s the gist of the suite.”
There are three types of living areas for students. One is the traditional dorm room with a community bathroom, like McMindes Hall. Another is an apartment room, which has a full kitchen and often washers and dryers, like Stadium Place Apartments.
The third is a suite-style room, which has smaller kitchen with no stove and no laundry machines. Bathrooms are shared between two and four people.
“There will be a garden level or basement that we are currently working on as well,” said director of residential life Brian Faust. “We’re open to having some other things like a TV lounge, kitchen or laundry room.
“We’re also going to be having an outside courtyard that goes with that as well. It’s all in the works but we’re working to have it be more modern than what you would have in your traditional residence hall.”
The residential life offices will move to the east living room in McMindes Hall along with dining services when demolition begins.
Agnew Hall has gained a reputation for its lack of central air conditioning, requiring residents to purchase their own outside air conditioning unit. The building also does not meet requirements set by the Americans With Disabilities Act. The first floor is on two separate levels, meaning there are several steps with few ramps.
Any improvements made to the 52-year-old building would have to meet those requirements.
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