Construction will begin on the Knorr Student Center this May, turning the main floor of the building into an admissions welcome center and offices, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.
“There will no longer be a snack bar in this space,” Péwé said. “The entire admissions department and its personnel will move to this new space. The bookstore will also move from the Grewcock Student Union into the welcome center, and the old bookstore will become the Career Services space.”
Construction on this project will take 13-15 months to complete, according to Péwé.
“It will be beautiful,” College President Larry Arnn said. “It will not take as long as the library nor disrupt the quad nearly so much. We will get through it, and then we will be glad.”
Arnn said one benefit of the new welcome center will be its location, attached to the Dow Hotel and Conference Center where admissions visitors stay. According to Arnn, most of the funding is ready for the college’s use.
“We have gifts for the lion’s share of the cost, and the people who gave it are ready for us to get started. And we need it,” Arnn said.
Associate Vice President of Admissions Zachary Miller said the admissions office space in Central Hall isn’t big enough to meet growing needs. He said during busy periods, the lobby is standing room only, and there are not enough offices for all the staff.
“Over the past 10 years or so, the admissions office has experienced growth in many areas, including guests to campus, applications for admission, and the number of staff members,” Miller said. “In many ways we have outgrown our current space in Central Hall.”
For these reasons, Miller said the department is very excited about the new welcome center.
“It will be designed to greet any visitor coming to Hillsdale College,” Miller said. “As the starting point for their time with us on campus, it will give an impressive, beautiful first impression for our guests.”
The Knorr Student Center, including the “old snack bar,” was built in 1964 to serve as a student union. In 2008, when the Grewcock Student Union was completed, the old snack bar became a student lounge.
“The interior, its structure, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, and the patio and exterior façade will be substantially altered,” Péwé said.
Academic Services will remain in the basement of Knorr until the south library addition is finished, which could take several years, according to Péwé.
Junior Jonah Starr is the president of swing club, which meets in the old snack bar on Friday nights. Starr said he will be sad to see the old snack bar go.
“I understand that the college would like to get all of the construction done, but in doing so they are killing all of the spaces where students gather,” Starr said. “At the start of my freshman year, the booths and tables outside were almost always full of people studying, and there would be events from various student groups there all of the time. Sadly, like heaven and the top floor of the student union, the OSB has already fallen from its former glory.”
Construction will begin after commencement, according to Péwé. He said that Rockford Construction will be the general contractor, and the architect will be James McCrery, who also designed the Diana Davis Spencer Classical Education building.
