Rising out of the mist...three new student homes!

Three new residence halls are just beginning to take shape on a construction site that encompasses the old tennis courts, basketball courts, and parking lot across from the Perkins Student Center. The "bottom floor" will be a large new dining hall that will service the entire campus, while three new dorms will sit on the upper floors above the dining hall.  The architecture of the new dorms will mimmick the older Georgian style of Cannon, New Castle., Kent, and Smyth so they will successfully blend in with the surroundings. Opening for the new dorms will be August 2015.

 

Harter To Get Some Help

The main lounge area and study lounge just down the hall are getting a makeover to improve the experience for the residents of Harter. Although somewhat limited by the columns seperating parts of the main lounge an effort is being made to make the area more pleasing by repainting, changing the window treatments, and adding a new 46" smart TV at the opposite end from where the current 26" TV is located to hopefully alllow more viewing angles. Replacing the current furniture is also planned for the future. Harter Hall was built in 1912 and was originally called "Residence Hall," as it was the first building on campus created solely for the purpose of housing students. The most famous alumni of Harter Hall is the the current Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.

Harrington Hosts Major ReHab

The Harrington Complex (1962), made up of five seperate sleeping spaces and three commons' areas with kitchens, study, and lounging space; were closed during the summer of 2013 so that they could be renovated and reopened in the fall of 2015. Some of the areas that will be addressed by the reno include bathrooms with old piping and shower bases; electrical wiring from the sixties that can't accomodate all the devices students now brought to campus; and new HVAC piping and covers that have deteriorated over the years. in addition their will be new painting, carpeting in the hallways, and new room and public area furniture. One of the features of the new Harrington Complex will be that the former dining hall, that was converted into multi-use space in a previous reno; will now be accessible through the public areas of each individual building and not require a walk outside to get inside.

Flash Flood Floats Thompson

Approximately two weeks prior to fall opening in late August, a summer storm dumped a few inches of rain in Newark in such a short time that it flooded out the basement of the building. As it happens, the carpeting in the hallway floors was replaced during the summer but the two basement lounges were not replaced. It turns out this was good timing so we took the opportunity to replace the wet and damaged lounge carpeting just before the new residents arrived with carpet tiles that were available on short notice from our vendor.  Here is the study side, without the TV, at the East end of the basement.

Redding starts out Grand!

The new Louis Redding Hall in East Campus also has a new grand piano in the main lounge. Instead of moving the grand piano from Russell A/B, where the Honors Program was hosted up until last May; the decision was made to leave that piano for the future residents of Russell A/B and to get another grand piano for the Redding building.

Chalk one up for West Campus!

Late last spring the Housing Carpenter Shop acquired and then installed several chalk boards adjacent to the Rodney underpass for West Campus students to write their thoughts on subjects like "one thing I'd like to do before I die..."  The blackboards have taken the place of an older cork board that dates back to the building of the Rodney dorms in the mid-sixties.

 

 

 



Eli Gilbert and Louis Redding Halls to open in about a month

The first new residence halls to be built on the UD Campus since 2008 will have new furniture arriving to fill the rooms starting on Monday July 22, 2013. The new halls were built especially for freshman with "gang" baths and floor lounges. The rooms will be air conditioned and there will be elevators to travel up the five floors of each building. The Honors Program will be housed in the Louis Redding building. Below shows the Eli Gilbert building.