Your Gifts at Work: Renovated Residence Halls Mark New Era for Northwestern

Posted on Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Hardwood floors. Stainless steel appliances. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Air conditioning.

Selling points for a new condo?

Nope. Welcome to Northwestern’s renovated residence halls.

This fall, two residence halls—North Mid Quads and South Mid Quads, both tucked into the iconic Sorority Quad at the south end of the Evanston campus—reopened after undergoing top-to-bottom renovations.

The improvements are the first to be completed as part of Northwestern’s 12-year Housing Master Plan. By the time the initiative is completed in 2025, crews will have renovated 11 residence halls and built five new ones, improving the student experience and reshaping the Evanston campus. In early November, the University broke ground for a new residence hall at 560 Lincoln Street.

The generosity of donors who give every year is helping Northwestern provide an optimal environment for learning, collaboration, and community.

That focus is clear at both North Mid Quads and South Mid Quads. Walk through the main entrance of either building, and you’d never know they were built in 1981.

Each building’s main floor, which used to house sleeping rooms and had limited community space, is now wide open. Large gathering spaces filled with couches, lounge chairs, pool tables, flat-screen TVs, and natural light surround an open kitchen available to all residents.

Power outlets complete with USB ports are embedded in walls, columns, and even the hardwood floor, allowing students to plug in wherever they’d like. Both buildings also include a first-floor conference room, giving students plenty of room to work on group projects.

Anyone entering or leaving the buildings has to walk through the new open spaces, helping to foster a sense of connection among the buildings’ residents, says Paul Riel, Northwestern’s executive director of residential services.

“People are coming and going all the time,” Riel says, standing just inside the entrance to South Mid Quads while students hang out in the new common areas. “You can’t miss all the activity that takes place here.”

Upstairs, the sleeping rooms, bathrooms, and hallways in both buildings have been revamped with new carpeting and tiling, fresh paint, and updated light fixtures, giving them a decidedly modern feel. Students loved the updates when they returned to campus in September, Riel says.

“They were just raving about the changes,” he says. “I think the quality of the renovations took them by surprise.”

Three other residence halls—Goodrich House, Public Affairs Residential College, and Shepard Residential College—are currently undergoing similar renovations, creating shared spaces where students can feel at home while relaxing and studying together.

Kinsey Erickson, a freshman who lives on the second floor of South Mid Quads, said she was thrilled when she moved into the building in September.

“It’s beautiful,” says Erickson, who plans to double major in computer science and gender and sexuality studies. “There’s so much communal space. It’s really nice to have such an open and relaxed environment.”