Preserving Traditions, Respecting Legacy Keys to Successful Residence Hall Renovation

Older residence halls are steeped in tradition and legacy, so when the time comes to renovate these campus gems, the student housing design experts at KWK Architects – a Lawrence Group Company recommend preserving the hall’s valuable identity and spirit in its updated design.

“The significance of a residence hall’s traditions and culture transmitted over time transcends the four-year rotation of the traditional student and cannot be underestimated,” said KWK Principal Javier Esteban, AIA, LEED AP. “An important aspect of any older hall’s renovation is to successfully retain the deep connection current and former students have with the building as a recruiting tool for new students who long to be part of its cultural patrimony."

The trend toward renovating older residence halls is on the rise, as colleges and universities nationwide seek a cost-effective alternative to building a new facility while still providing accessibility, modern spaces, technology and amenities to accommodate the needs and wants of today’s students.

Not only do these older halls hold sentimental value, but they also provide practical benefits such as an established location on campus, often with convenient access to the student union and academic buildings, which can be a major consideration for undergraduate students when choosing a place to call home.

Esteban recommends including a hall’s students, housing staff and former residents when undertaking a renovation. Their input, he says, will help to ensure that the hall’s defining elements, activities and traditions are thoroughly understood and represented in the redesign.

Here are more suggestions from KWK’s designers on how to maintain a hall’s legacy during a renovation:

• Select traditional colors or branded graphics for an accent wall
• Retain some of the hall’s character-defining elements such as a fireplace, piece of furniture or window
• Create display cases that highlight the achievements of past residents as a message of encouragement and tradition to the newcomers
• Maintain outdoor programs and organic activities between nearby residence halls to create a larger sense of community
• Retain mature landscaping that defines a hall and its outdoor spaces when possible

KWK has designed multiple historic residence hall renovations over the years, including Corbin Hall at University of Kansas, Pioneer Hall at the University of Minnesota, and the Strong Complex at Kansas State University. In each of these cases, KWK worked to incorporate their character-defining features in the redesign.

At KU’s Corbin Hall, the renovation utilized different accent paints from historical paint collections for each floor to help establish community identity and provide wayfinding. Original fireplaces in three of the four central floor lounges were kept intact to maintain the hall’s historic character. Designers also made sure to give a nod to the building’s history by matching finishes where they could, such as selecting wood species and stains that tied back to the main lounge’s original woodwork.

KWK redesigned 90-year-old Pioneer Hall with an emphasis on preserving the structure’s character-defining Georgian Revival-style exterior, C-shaped four-story wings, slate roofs, window fenestrations and round-arched passageways, while improving accessibility and providing an upgraded dining experience.

Kansas State University is currently undertaking a $32 million renovation of its historic Strong Complex, which includes three residence halls: Boyd (built in 1951), Putnam (built in 1952) and Van Zile (built in 1926).

Much care is being taken to ensure that the individual, character-defining aspects and traditions of each hall are not lost to the renovation process. A majority of students surveyed at the beginning of the design process stated that they wanted to keep the grand living rooms in each residence hall, include long tables in the dining centers, and maintain the beloved outdoor community space formed by the juxtaposition of the three halls.

Renovating a historic residence hall can significantly influence the dynamics of long-standing communities built and nurtured over generations. Thoughtfully preserving a hall’s character-defining features and honoring its legacy during the redesign helps retain its cultural and emotional value, especially for students who seek connection to an established, familiar community.