The Spaulding House and O'Leary Residence Hall Receive Major Renovations
Friday, September 02, 2011
With the countdown to move-in weekend nearly done, renovation crews are putting the finishing touches on Elms College's beloved O'Leary residence hall. Although the front steps are still being reconstructed, the building boasts a bevy of welcome improvements, from top to bottom.
The aesthetic and structural improvements include:
- New furniture in lounges and dorm rooms
- New carpeting in all hallways and stairways
- Refinished floors in each dorm room
- Entirely new bathrooms with heated floors
- Revamped heating and cooling systems
- Roof repairs
- Front stairway reconstruction
- A wheel-chair accessible ramp that seamlessly blends into the building
Reactions from student resident assistants, who return to campus early, have been overwhelmingly positive. Senior CSD major Emily McInerney is coming back for her fourth year of living in O'Leary. "The bathrooms look really nice," she said, "the lights are brighter, I can see myself, and the showers are really nice." Emily recalled that the old bathrooms were "in rough shape," with stall doors that didn't always provide enough privacy. Although she said she misses the older furniture, she enjoys the new clean look of the entire dorm.
Senior Sarah Donovan is excited to be spending her first year in the nearly-century old building, stating "It's got new furniture, new carpeting ... new everything!"
The Spaulding House, home to the Office of Admission, also received a makeover this past year.
The victorian house was painted and had new flooring, wallpaper, furniture installed while a renovated bathroom and handicapped-accessable ramp were added. Follow the links below to get a better look at the finished products.
See photos from before, during, and after the O'Leary renovation.