The beginning of the school year is one of the liveliest times at the University, with first-years roaming the dormitory halls, making new friends, and hunting for the perfect study spots. These students have historically been found roaming the grass and the buildings of the First-Year Quad: Gilbert, Hoeing, Tiernan, and Lovejoy.
But this year, the quad will be slightly more silent. Hoeing Hall is preparing for renovation and is temporarily closed to students.
Dan Watts, Executive Director of Residential Life and Housing Services, explained that Hoeing has been long due for major renovations.
“We really needed to replace all of the plumbing and redo the bathrooms,” Watts said. “And that’s not anything we could ever do in a building that is occupied.”
These bathrooms were prominent issues with Hoeing, Watts explained. He recounted stories of every student living on the second floor traveling up or down to an adjacent floor to go to the bathroom or take a shower due to complications with the plumbing.
The planned renovation will completely gut the original bathrooms and replace them with new versions nearly identical to those in Genesee Hall, with six individual bathrooms in every hall that contain a shower, sink, and toilet with a lockable door.
The focus of further renovations will be Hoeing’s lounges and Wi-Fi, Watts described. Gilbert Hall’s lounges, having convenient amenities, comfortable seating, and accessible smartboards, are the blueprint for the Hoeing renovations. Students can expect renewed paint and carpeting in Hoeing when it reopens..
“It’s not a … full-building renovation,” Watts said, “but it’s pretty major, and pretty intensive.”
Air conditioning is not on the list of potential improvements due to the lack of duct space in the building, Watts explained.
No first-years have been displaced due to the construction, which is due to start Sept. 15 and end in time for the Class of 2030 to move in. According to Watts, there are enough empty first-year living spaces to leave Hoeing empty while providing all first-years with housing.
Undergraduate class enrollment peaked in the Fall 2022 semester and has continued to decline since, according to the University’s Fact Book.
“What I appreciate is the University taking advantage of this opportunity,” Watts said. “We have empty beds … so we can do things that we’ve been wanting to do, and Hoeing’s the first step.”
The University is currently reviewing options for further renovations in residential spaces.
