Queen Anne’s Hall opened to students on schedule Sunday, after $7.3 million in extensive renovations closed the dormitory for three semesters.
The dorm, which was restructured to house 119 students instead of its original capacity of 166 students, now contains room-controlled heating and air conditioning and larger study rooms. South Campus Associate Director Cindy Felice said they took away some of the old rooms to create more space for the residents.
The 56-year-old building has a new laundry facility, a multipurpose center and four new seminar rooms designed to host University Honors Program academic functions.
The first floor also has an expanded spiral staircase that leads down to the ground level.
“The structure originally had a narrower staircase. We liked the concept so we kept it and expanded it to open up the dorm,” Felice said.
During the construction process, the dorm was completely gutted, leaving only the original shell of the building intact, said Carlo Colella, director of the architecture, engineering and construction department. After everything was stripped, workers installed new electrical and handicap systems to bring the hall up to current safety codes.
Overall, students who were selected to move in — mostly from the honors program — were pleased with the upgrades.
Christine McKay, a freshman engineering major, said she was impressed with the size of her new room, especially compared to her old room in Denton Hall.
Lindsay Kishter, a community assistant and sophomore journalism major, said she was impressed with the renovation’s results, but thought the university went a little overboard with its spending.
The renovations to Queen Anne’s Hall are part of the university’s long-term plan to remodel various dorms located on South Campus, Colella said. Wicomico and Caroline halls will be the next dorms to undergo renovations.
As of yesterday, Felice said there were a few vacant rooms available. Honors students interested in moving in should contact the Resident Life Department.
