Skyline and Pioneer Halls, which opened in 1950 to accommodate World War II veterans attending on the GI Bill, are scheduled for demolition in December 2005.
They will be replaced by a new $34 million residence hall, the second new residence hall in five years.
The new residence hall will house sophomores, juniors and seniors while offering a new dining option for students.
As University Architect Mark Rodgers explained, “The new dining hall will have a kind of multi-branded grab-and-go feel to it, much like the food court at a shopping mall.”
Plans are also underway to incorporate an Einstein’s Bagels.
“All of our projects are seeking to complement one another, so that students living in other buildings will be attracted to different areas. Whereas Nelson’s dining hall is a destination point, this new hall is just a stop along the way.”
A new parking structure on the current site of Columbine Hall is being built to accommodate the influx, and may be the new home for both Parking Services and Campus Security.
One of the goals of this project is to build better community spaces. The idea of a game room has been proposed, and like the dining hall, would be open to all students on campus. The new residence hall will also have what Rodgers refers to as a “classroom of the future,” which will be detailed by the Department of Teaching and Learning to showcase the best that DU has to offer potential students.
The design team is actively accepting input from students on what they would like to see in the new facility, students are asked to submit their proposals through Campus Life.
Scott Lumpkin, associate vice chancellor of University Advancement, said the new residence hall is a great step forward for the image of the university.
“We are committed to providing an outstanding experience to our students, and we recognize that a lot of learning takes place outside the classroom.”
Lumpkin explained that this hall and Nelson, which opened in 2002, are actualizing the idea of the living and learning community. DU is also planning a third new residence hall. This would be a freshman dorm which will most likely replace existing residences near Skyline and Pioneer Halls.
“In the next hall that we build, we plan to incorporate a much more extensive convenience store, continuing the idea that each hall attracts the other,” explains Rodgers. “The university is trying to get away from the idea of ‘institutionalized housing,’ that every room is the same. This hall, and Nelson, are built in ways so that you have every expectation that they will be here in hundreds of years.”
