College finished construction on Dow A & B

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College finished construction on Dow A & B
Dow A & B is the latest in a list of renovations at Hillsdale. Courtesy | Aaron Tracey

“This is a classy room,” said Aaron Tracey, director of hospitality operations for the Hillsdale College Dow Hotel and Conference Center. “You might feel out of place wearing shorts and a T-shirt here.”

Renovations in the Dow A & B event room concluded Oct. 28, ending an 11-month project that cost $3 million.

The task was to update the two connected rooms that combine to create the Dow Campbell A & B Lecture Hall. 

The renovation finished the day before its inaugural event — a banquet dedicated to the partnership between USA Shooting and Hillsdale.

“Better than the day of the event,” Tracey said.

Dow A & B is the latest on a list of renovations in Hillsdale College. 

Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé described the Dow A & B renovations as a “unity” not only of the two conference rooms, but of Campbell Lecture Hall into the rest of the college.

Péwé noted that among the renovations is the addition of a grand staircase that connects the lower floor to an upper mezzanine, as well as a marble fireplace with the Hillsdale College motto “virtus tentamine gaudet.” 

Péwé’s enthusiasm extended to the possibility for more events and lectures in the space.

“It will probably become the most popular room on campus,” he said. 

He predicted it will be in-demand for weddings, banquets, and lectures. It may also be used in conjunction with events in the Searle Center. 

The college consulted James McCurry, a classical architect, who helped renovate Campbell Lecture Hall in the classical style and changed the room’s tables and chairs to complement the environment.

Blue walls and a sealed cork floor replaced the original brick and carpet. The upper level of the Campbell Lecture Hall, however, will have a variety of uses beyond lectures, such as displaying archives.The upper mezzanine has humidity and temperature-controlled cases that can display artifacts. On Monday, a sampling of ancient coins from the Carus Coin Collection will go on display while Professor of History Kenneth Calvert delivers a lecture. 

Several artifacts from the Heritage Room may also be relocated, or put on temporary display within the Campbell Lecture Hall, including letters from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.