Though most students were away this summer, the campus stayed busy as the school remodeled McIntyre Dorm and construction finished on Simpson Dorm and the new outdoor tennis courts.
McIntyre’s renovations were one of the largest on campus this summer, beginning as soon as students left campus. The construction was completed in only 85 days, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.
“The fact that we did McIntyre in one summer is crazy, actually,” Péwé said. “That’s really fast.”
McIntyre now has a reworked basement, complete with five new washers and dryers – free for Mac girls’ use.
The dorm’s construction included removing several rooms to build two new kitchens, one on each wing of the dorm. These are accompanied by cozy lounges, featuring couches, a television, and a fireplace.
Dorm rooms got a new coat of paint and laminate flooring while the suite-style bathrooms were updated as well. The front entrance was altered to a single ingress, leading directly to the lobby.
McIntyre also received an elaborate patio. Complete with an outdoor fireplace, the freshmen girls can now enjoy a space to relax outside in lawn chairs.
The renovated dorm is unrecognizable.
“It is 100 percent better,” McIntyre head resident assistant senior Angela Bonvissuto said. “There are more places to hang out, so it’s way more social.”
Across campus, Simpson Dorm received some renovations over the summer. The front entrance to Simpson was expanded and additional windows were added, allowing more natural light into the lobby.
The construction on Simpson also included a new roof, which, as Simpson house director Peggy Wilson explained, matched the roof of the Searle Center across the street.
This is part of a long list of work done on Simpson over the past year. These summer renovations were, Wilson said, “a part of phase two.”
In addition to the renovations in McIntyre and Simpson, the summer projects included the new outdoor tennis courts, located next to the Biermann Center.
Péwé explained the project began last October because the old courts had deteriorated and needed “to be completely rebuilt.”
After breaking ground last fall and waiting until after the winter snows melted to finish, workmen finally laid down the green and blue courts during.
According to Péwé, as of Tuesday, the courts are “ready for action.”
