Hanover, NH Dartmouth College has launched a $500 million program to invest in new and renewed undergraduate housing, representing the school’s largest campus housing investment in a generation. College president Sian Leah Beilock has pledged to add a combined 1,000 beds for students, faculty and staff over the next 10 years.
The Ivy League college has received one of the largest gifts for undergraduate housing in its history, $30 million from alumni Thomas Russo ’77 and Gina T. Russo ’77. The apartment-style residence hall for juniors and seniors, being built at 25 West Wheelock St., will be named Russo Hall.
Russo Hall is the first of several planned apartment-style residence halls on West Wheelock St., near the central campus and the West End campus district. The Russo’s contribution launches a $165 million fundraising campaign to help fund the construction of Dartmouth College’s first new undergraduate residences in more than 20 years.
In addition to new construction on West Wheelock St., Dartmouth is renovating 60% of existing undergraduate residences over the next 15 years to add beds, studying rooms, gathering spaces, and amenities. The renovations will also improve accessibility and prepare Dartmouth’s residential infrastructure for the transition away from fossil fuels.
“We are designing all of our new residences and our housing renewal projects to last more than 100 years, because the ultimate sustainable act is to renovate, not to tear down,” said Josh Keniston, senior vice president of capital planning and campus operations.
Most recently, this fall Zimmerman Hall and Brace Commons are reopening to students after a complete upgrade, following the reopening of Andres Hall in fall 2023. All three facilities are part of the East Wheelock House community.
Andres and Zimmerman now feature suites of singles and doubles with gender-neutral, single-user bathrooms, adding a net of 24 new beds. The renovations also added elevators, air conditioning, study rooms, lounges, and other social spaces. Brace Commons, the East Wheelock House’s social center, now features improved accessibility, lighting, and landscaping, as well as spaces for studying, meeting, and house-wide events.
All three buildings meet the standards for LEED Gold certification for sustainability, health, and safety and are designed to be compatible with Dartmouth’s shift from oil-fueled steam to geo-exchange hot-water heating and cooling.
As the Zimmerman and Brace Commons project neared completion over the summer, work began on Fayerweather Hall, a 120-year-old three-building neo-Georgian residence that is part of South House. The project — which will put the three buildings under a single new roof and add 35 beds, elevators, and a new house social center — will thoroughly modernize the residence while preserving Fayerweather’s historic character. As with Zimmerman and Andres, Fayerweather’s systems will be updated from steam to hot-water heating to be compatible with Dartmouth’s shift to sustainable energy. The project is on track for LEED Platinum certification.
While the Fayerweather project gets underway, Dartmouth is in the schematic design phase for the renovation of Mass Row, the next residence slated for renewal.