Sansom Place West and Sansom Place East are getting makeovers. The former will be renovated starting in June, while the latter will be redone next summer.
We’re glad the University is finally renovating these residences. Updates are overdue.
The buildings haven’t undergone major changes since they were built 40 years ago. Since then, more than a generation of Penn students have used much of the same furniture and facilities. Removing carpet, installing tile and replacing furniture will update the buildings.
Renovating Sansom East and West is particularly important because the changes could help make the buildings more attractive to residents. The buildings house most of the graduate students who live on campus at a school where most live off-campus. Upgrades to the rooms could make living at school more desirable and could increase a sense of community among graduate students.
Moreover, Sansom West is not most undergraduates’ first choice for housing; students instead prefer the recently upgraded high-rise college houses. The renovations may keep more students living there for more than one year.
Once the renovations are complete, we hope the University makes sure to keep these buildings aesthetically and functionally pleasing. It shouldn’t be another 40 years before these buildings are redone again.
