Guests to the president’s residence were used to an unwelcoming arrival — pulling up to the top of the hill, being greeted by the back of an aging home and, if they were joining a group of more than 100 people, being shepherded to a tent pitched in the backyard.

While many donors said it was a beautiful home, the atmosphere it created for large events was a far cry from the one university officials decided they would craft in designing a new president’s residence. Now open and already the location of dozens of planned events over the next two months, the building embodies the significant “power of the house” of a university community, said university President Wallace Loh.

Staff are still carrying out some finishing touches on the $7.5 million facility, which president’s residence manager Stephen Oetken said is a “work in progress” as it’s still missing some draperies, floor coverings and furniture. But after about seven months of construction, Loh has opened the doors of the new residence and event center.

“Dr. Loh wants to include everyone, to provide access to everyone,” said president’s assistant Sapienza Barone. “Every group on campus can have an opportunity to enjoy the house and Dr. Loh to host them.”

Loh said he will still keep his personal residence in a College Park neighborhood, both to maintain his privacy and to send a signal by paying taxes that he is committed to College Park. But there is something to be said for inviting people to a building that holds more prestige than the Riggs Alumni Center or a restaurant in Washington, which Loh often used to host prominent guests to a nice meal, he said. The event center overlooks some of the main areas where students find their own homes on the campus, from freshman high-rise dorms to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center,to Byrd Stadium and academic buildings — “if you crane your neck,” Loh said.

Based off an idea from Loh’s wife, student artwork will provide pops of color against the home’s light tan walls and golden accents.

While the home serves as a private residence upstairs, nearly every room on the main floor will serve as a work space away from the Main Administration Building to help Loh recruit new administrators, donors, athletes and coaches, he said, from the dining room to the living room lined with the words of the Maryland alma mater, to small private offices.

“There is an aura to being in University House that just cannot be captured by having lunch or an event in the Stamp Union or in a conference room in the library,” he said. “If I’m trying to recruit somebody … it is quite different to say I’d like to welcome the parents and recruit and have coffee and tea in the president’s house as opposed to, ‘I’ll meet you at Comcast.’”

The University of Maryland College Park Foundation, a private fundraising organization led by the university’s vice president of university relations, raised the total cost of the project in pledges by the end of May, according to Marketing Director Brian Ullmann.

The foundation had about $2 million in hand and should see the remaining pledges in cash within five years. Additionally, several modifications were made to the house to make it more cost-effective; for example, the lightweight faux slate roof was less expensive than real slate and has a 50-year warranty, said former Vice President of University Relations Brodie Remington.

Officials are also working toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification, Oetken said.

The building includes eco-friendly features such as a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy-efficient light bulbs and domestic water heated by solar panels. The facility will also be handicap-accessible — unlike the previous president’s residence — pending a permit for the house’s elevator, he said.

“I was really excited about all the sustainability initiatives there,” said Student Government Association President Samantha Zwerling, who attended an event for student leaders. “It showed that our university’s commitment to sustainability also transferred over to the University House.”

While visitors would pull up to the previous home from the back, the rebuilt home faces North Campus so they can pull up to the front, and the floor plan is open and conducive to holding large events, Oetken said. For example, once visitors enter the front doors, they can walk straight through to the back onto the courtyard. The reception room, which holds about 200 to 250 people standing, has large windows overlooking North Campus, he said.

“The house is situated in a way that is much more welcoming to campus,” he said. “We feel that that presents a much more welcoming facade. The flow really improved, and logistically, for events that’s really helpful.”

Student Entertainment Events President Seth Backer, who also attended an event at the house, said it should work well for serving both a family and the thousands of people who will pass through it each semester.

“I thought the house was definitely welcoming and pristine,” he said. “I do like what it stands for … It’s definitely a good representation of the progress Maryland is willing to make.”

There are 25 events scheduled this semester, Barone wrote in an email, but others are in the works, and she predicted there would be 40 events in the house by the end of the year. The former president’s residence, demolished last winter, had not been the site of an event since June 1, 2010, she wrote.

Zwerling said she appreciated Loh hosting student groups at the house, and that she also hoped it would help draw attention and funding to the university.

“I think it shows that we are a top research institution and a lot of the times, the university house will be used for prospective donors,” she said. “It’s a place where the whole campus can feel proud, and it’s really helping get resources on our campus.”