The Foundation for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and IUP formally cut the ribbon on September 26 for the Phase II buildings of the $270 million Residential Revival, the largest project of its kind in the nation.
The Residential Revival, a public-private collaboration designed to revolutionize the way students live and learn at IUP, is a multiphase project to replace or renovate all of the university-owned student housing. It maintains the university's current bed count of 3,900.
The Foundation for IUP, a nonprofit entity, owns the buildings. IUP manages building operations.
The Phase II buildings opened this fall with 1,112 beds: the Suites on Maple East, with 362 beds; the Suites on Maple West, with 370 beds; and the Northern Suites, with 380 beds.
The buildings continue to incorporate the Residential Revival “living-learning” philosophy, and have two- or four-person suites and ground-floor amenities spaces for campus services.
“It is not often that a university has both the confidence and the opportunity to completely redesign the way in which students live and learn,” Foundation for IUP Executive Director and IUP Vice President for University Relations Dr. Robert O. Davies said. “This project has enabled us to do just that.
“The Student Residential Revival project not only meets our primary goal of serving our students and enhancing our learning environment, but it significantly contributes to the economic condition of our community.”
Approximately 12 percent of all the construction costs for the Residential Revival have gone to regional companies, and almost half of the individuals employed for the construction of the buildings are from the Indiana region, Davies said.
Davies served as master of ceremonies for the event, which included remarks by IUP President Dr. Tony Atwater; Sen. Don White; Council of Trustees Chairman David Osikowicz; Foundation for IUP President Dan Prushnok; Indiana resident Elizabeth Blair Wallwork; Dr. Daniel Burkett, mathematics professor and a representative from the living-learning committee; and student Jeremy Rush, president of the Residence Hall Association.
Gordon Hall, which was razed to make way for the Northern Suites, was named in honor of McClellan Gordon, a mathematics teacher at IUP from 1892-1927 and Wallwork's great-grandfather. Gordon Hall was first a men's dormitory and, most recently, a classroom building. It was dedicated in 1964.
The Suites on Maple East houses the Center for Health and Well-Being, which includes the Counseling Center, University Health Services, and Health AWAREness. The Suites on Maple West includes the Office of Housing and Residence Life and the Office of Student Housing Development.
To make way for the Suites on Maple—Langham, Mack, Stewart and Turnbull halls were razed.
Langham Hall was the last single-sex residence hall on campus, but most recently served as home to both male and female students. It was named in honor of Judge J. Nicholas Langham, a member of the Council of Trustees from 1892-1906. It was dedicated in 1960.
Dedicated in 1963, the “Tri-Halls”—Mack, Stewart and Turnbull—last served as co-ed residence facilities. Mack Hall was named for Mable Waller Mack, vice president of Council of Trustees from 1946 to 1956.
Stewart Hall was named in honor of Hope Stewart, IUP's dean of women from 1898-1938.
Agnes Sligh Turnbull was the namesake for Turnbull Hall. She was a 1910 Indiana Normal School graduate and author. Her work included the 1952 bestseller “The Gown of Glory.”
The Touch and Smell Garden, located outside of Gordon Hall and maintained by the Evergreen Garden Club for the past 28 years, has been relocated to a space next to the Northern Suites in conjunction with the Allegheny Arboretum master plan.
The garden will be replanted in spring 2009 and will combine with the former Shakespeare Garden, also relocated because of the construction project. It will be renamed the Heritage Garden.
The project developer is Allen and O'Hara of Memphis, Tenn. Massaro Corporation of Pittsburgh is the general contractor for the project. The buildings were designed by WTW Architects of Pittsburgh.
The Student Residential Revival project is part of a federal program called LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. All of the buildings in this project are designed to be “green” buildings in construction and operation.
Groundbreaking for Phase III of the Residential Revival took place May 8. Construction is on schedule for the Phase III buildings, Sutton Suites and Suites on Pratt. These buildings will offer approximately 1,084 beds for fall 2009.
To make way for the Phase III buildings, Campus Towers, Esch and Wallace halls and the Pechan Health Center were razed.
The Sutton Suites, to be located at the corner of Pratt Drive and Grant Street, has been designed to reflect the architecture of Sutton Hall, the university's central administration building.
Sutton Suites will include a number of rooms for meetings and recreation, as well as a multipurpose room that accommodates up to 150 people.
The Suites on Pratt will be along Maple Street at the former location of Campus Towers. This building will remain open during university breaks to accommodate international students.
The Phase I buildings of the Residential Revival project, the Suites on Grant—Upper and the Suites on Grant—Lower, opened in fall 2007. The two buildings offer 734 beds and continue to be at capacity for the second year of operation.
In May, the Suites on Grant—Lower was renamed Susan Snell Delaney Hall in honor of longtime Council of Trustees member Susan Snell Delaney, of Indiana.
Susan Snell Delaney Hall houses the African American Cultural Center, International Affairs, Social Equity and Civic Engagement, and the Information Technology Support Center.
The Suites on Grant includes the Applied Research Lab and the John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security.
To make way for Phase I facilities, Wahr Hall and the administrative annex were razed. The stone wall along Pratt Drive also was torn down for this construction. Materials from the wall were used in the Phase II new building construction. The stone wall structure was funded through the Works Project Administration in the early 1940s.
The Student Residential Revival project was approved by the IUP Council of Trustees in December 2004 and by the State System of Higher Education Board of Governors in January 2005.