Elliott Hall opened its doors to residents in 1963 but will be closing in May and will add staff office and teaching spaces.
Elliott Hall is comprised of three buildings: A, B and C, totaling 37,293 square feet. The estimated total repurposing project cost is $6.5 million.
“A specific college or major has yet to claim the space,” said Michael Petty, director of facilities planning.
Petty said the existing infrastructure was a factor in the decision of repurposing the hall into office and classroom space.
The proposed renovations include changes to modify the buildings from bedrooms to classrooms and offices.
The remaining rooms will be converted for use as faculty and staff offices with supporting functions such as printing, lounge and break areas. New classrooms will be constructed on the ends of each floor.
The second floor will be converted to a storage area and will not be accessible to the public. The student lounge will be updated on the north and south sides of the building, and a suite of offices for administrative functions will be created.
The construction cost estimate is $4,700,000. The next milestone for the project is selecting an architect and contractor.
Changes to Elliott Hall come at a time when the on-campus community will feel it the most.
“It’s going to be a loss,” said Rosanne Proite, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Life.
This year, DHRL overbooked facilities, leaving some students sharing common area rooms for a time instead of individual dorms. DHRL said it found 100 students temporary housing.
The total number of on-campus residents is about 7,000, according to the DHRL.
The DHRL will attempt to make up for the 186 bed loss in Elliot Hall by continuing renovations in Blanco Hall. Proite said that at the end of 2019 Blanco Hall will undergo a $29 million dollar renovation.
Proite also said that The DHRL will add between 787 and 1,025 new beds in a construction project utilizing a new residence hall complex. The project includes the demolition of two existing residence halls, Burleson and Hornsby, and the construction of a new complex in their place.