Dorm, dining overhaul:A $300 million project designed to change the face of campus

In a move that will significantly alter the spaces on campus where undergraduates live and dine, University administrators Friday unveiled a 10-year plan to renovate every dormitory and dining facility and to construct several new residences in Hamilton Village. The approximately $300 million project is the school's largest single construction binge since the early 1970s, when it built three high rises, three low rises and a dining-hall-cum-parking-garage in an area where it had just demolished a neighborhood of Victorian-style homes. And like the earlier project, the impact of this phase of renovation and construction will be felt for decades. The proposal would affect buildings at every corner of Penn's campus: The University will build between two and five new dormitories in Superblock, totaling 1,000 beds; each high rise will close for about a year for major interior and exterior renovations; the Quadrangle's infrastructure will be overhauled and its exterior repaired; and all four dining halls will see some degree of change, including the demolition of the entire Stouffer Triangle building. The project also includes plans to renovate the low-rise buildings in Hamilton Village, such as the DuBois and Gregory college houses, and the possible introduction of retail or entertainment venues, such as convenience stores or a jazz club, into Superblock. The Hill and King's Court/English House college houses -- buildings which are less in need of large-scale structural changes -- will undergo renovations as necessary, as a final stage of the 10-year plan. Officials said the project -- which is in its planning stages and must still be approved by the University Board of Trustees -- is designed to offer the necessary physical complement to the programmatic changes implemented this fall with the introduction of Penn's college house system, which provides more academic and social support systems within each campus dormitory. "Now's the chance to make the structures live up to the programs," said Interim Provost Michael Wachter, who is spearheading the project along with Penn Executive Vice President John Fry. David Brownlee, the prime architect of the college house system and the current head of Penn's College Houses and Academic Services, is also heavily involved in planning the renovations. Hamilton Village Fry explained that the idea for a major overhaul of campus facilities originated two years ago when the University hired the outside consulting firm Biddison Hier to survey dorm facilities, although the bulk of work that went into the plan took place in the last 12 to 14 months. The entire project will cost about $300 million, officials said, though specific cost estimates were not available. Although officials initially considered building the new dormitories in other sites, like Hill Field, Fry said the planners ultimately realized that the Hill Field area was less in need of improvement than Superblock. "Our thought was that the most desperate need we had in terms of campus remediation was in Hamilton Village," Fry said. While officials said they were uncertain where the exact sites of the new Hamilton Village residences would be, they have set a tentative date of fall 2001 to open the college houses. This coming winter, officials will finalize plans for the new construction by holding an architectural design contest ahead of selecting a firm to plan the buildings. While the University plans to maintain a significant amount of the open space in Superblock, a main goal of the project is to "bring the vocabulary of Locust Walk across the bridge to 40th Street," Fry said. If the project is successful, he explained, the Hamilton Village area would ultimately be left with a more campus-like atmosphere -- and bear more of a resemblance to the "true village" the area was before Penn demolished it in the 1960s. "What we really want to do is take the significant amount of open space and begin to think about how we can program the buildings in a way that will enhance the streetscape of Hamilton Village," Fry said. Additionally, Penn may bring new retail into Superblock, possibly using the Carriage House -- which is being used as student space while Houston Hall is renovated -- as a coffee shop, jazz club or convenience store, he said. Construction of the new buildings, once the design and locations are finalized, will likely commence sometime in late 1999. After the new buildings are completed, the three 26-story high-rise residences -- or "tall college houses," as Brownlee has temporarily dubbed them -- will each close for about 15 months, during which time they will be extensively rehabilitated. The goal, according to Brownlee, is to "create better versions of what we already have." This will include large-scale renovations to the inside and outside of each building. Officials said they are likely to reconfigure the layout of each floor of the buildings to bring them more in line with the goals of the college house system, although specific plans are very far from being finalized. The overall intent of the interior renovations is to make the buildings less "institutional," officials said. The monolithic concrete structures may also be painted in an effort to spruce up their image, officials said. Other planned improvements include replacing windows, improving the buildings' heating and air-conditioning systems, landscaping the surrounding grounds, expanding study spaces and common areas and moving offices currently located in the high rises to other facilities to create more student rooms. Officials said they were not sure whether the reconfigurations would result in a net loss or increase in student beds in the existing high rises. While each high rise is closed, the new dormitories -- designed as swing space -- will house the overflow of on-campus residents. In 2004, when all three high rises are scheduled to be functioning again, the capacity of campus residences will increase to about 6,170, an additional 870 beds over this year's total. Although the Penn-owned Sheraton University City hotel had earlier been considered as swing space, Fry said the planners decided against it because of the hotel's profitability and because its design is not conducive to the function of a college house. "In the end we would have had either a bad dorm or a dysfunctional hotel," Fry said, adding that hotel profits will also help finance the project. Administrators explained that while they do not expect an increase in enrollment from the current 10,000 undergraduates, the extra beds are needed to accommodate an expected increase in the amount of students wanting to live on campus. Currently, the college houses are 99 percent occupied, yet they house only 54 percent of undergraduates. Where to Eat? Along with the addition of the new dormitories in Superblock, the project could lead to a reduction of 130 beds if the Stouffer Triangle -- including the dining hall, dormitory and retail stores -- is ultimately demolished in 2001, as officials have hinted is likely. In Stouffer's place, officials have talked about building a more "transparent" dining-only facility with a better view of the Quad. The building, which may or may not include retail, should be finished by 2003. Fry said the importance of the 38th and Spruce streets corner as a gateway to campus necessitates building a more aesthetically pleasing dining hall. Since most students living in the Quad typically eat their meals at Stouffer, built in 1972, there will be a need for swing dining space while the new facility is under construction. Stouffer is projected to close for its likely demolition in 2001, the same time that the expansion and renovations of the 28-year-old Class of 1920 Commons are scheduled for completion, providing additional dining space. Beginning in 2000, the University will enclose the patio area between 1920 Commons and Harnwell House -- or High Rise East -- and redesign the building's interior, greatly increasing the facility's ability to serve Quad residents left without a dining hall. Work on the Hill House dining hall, which will be the first to undergo renovations, will cause relatively little inconvenience, as the changes are scheduled to be completed over the summer of 1999. The Hill renovations will mainly involve modernizing the food-production facilities in both the kitchen and serving areas and creating a dining space that is more conducive to a community environment. Currently, Hill dining consists of long, narrow tables. Quads and Ends Another phase of the work that will begin this summer is the Quad renovations, the first residential phase of the project. The initial components of these renovations are designed to solve infrastructural needs, such as exterior wall repairs, drainage and foundational support. The renovations, which will take place mostly over the next three summers, will not necessitate the closing or disruption of any of the four college houses in the Quad. While it is unlikely that the Quad -- parts of which are 103 years old -- will see any major changes in room or hall configuration, Brownlee said the renovations may involve adding bathrooms and sinks to give all rooms convenient access to those facilities. The remaining campus residences will undergo renovations in the final phases of the project. This will include minor changes in the 27-year-old Gregory and Dubois college houses, scheduled for 2004 to 2005 and, if it is deemed necessary, in Hill and King's Court/English Houses in 2006 to 2007. None of these buildings -- which are better designed to function as college houses -- will close for the renovations. The project planners explained that while the plan is to complete all of the renovations and construction within 10 years, there are no guarantees that everything will proceed as planned. Fry explained that the University may have to extend the time period, depending on unforeseen developments. In addition to the time period, the details of the project are largely unofficial. Fry stressed that most of the specific changes in the residences have yet to be finalized and will depend largely on student input. Administrators said they will work closely with the student-run Residential Advisory Board, as well as faculty and student committees, throughout all phases of construction and renovation, to try to respond to student needs. "To the extent that we are good listeners and are doing our market research and asking you guys what you need, we'll be able to reflect that on the buildings as well," Fry said. Brownlee pointed out that by responding to a broad range of student needs, the strength of Penn's college house system, as opposed to others such as Harvard and Yale, will be its variety. But he stressed that responding to student needs will not guarantee a permanently successful plan, explaining that the initial design for the high rises came in large part from student consultation. Part of the need for the current master plan is that most students have said the structure of the high rises precludes a social atmosphere. Beyond 40th Street In addition to improving the facilities to support the new college house system, the project will have effects outside campus boundaries. Officials said that, along with the University's recent deals to build Robert Redford's new Sundance Cinemas and an upscale supermarket at 40th Street, the improvements in Hamilton Village, and particularly the prospect of future retail establishments, will further bridge the gap between Penn and the community. The hope, Fry said, is that these developments will help bring graduate students and young families who currently live in Center City or the suburbs back to the area. The project is also likely to improve off-campus living conditions in University City, Fry said. Not only will the project decrease over-crowding in area housing, but the higher capacity of on-campus living and improved facilities will put more pressure on area landlords to provide good service and maintain their buildings. "The strategy for on-campus and the strategy for off-campus go hand in hand," Fry said, speculating that those landlords who do not keep their properties in top shape will lose potential customers to campus residences. The planners admitted, though, that they expect that thousands of undergraduate and graduate students will continue to live off campus.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.