St. Olaf will commence renovations to Hilleboe and Kittelsby Halls (Hill-Kitt) in June 2022. The renovations are expected to be completed by the fall of 2024, and while Hill-Kitt is under renovation, students can anticipate living in the new dorm on Ole Avenue, the new town homes, or elsewhere off campus in addition to the remaining current dorms.
With the addition of the town homes, which can accommodate 140 students, and the new dorm, the temporary closure of Hilleboe-Kittelsby will not pose a problem for student housing, according to Associate Dean of Students for Resident Life, Pamela McDowell.
St. Olaf has been renovating dorms for the last decade, beginning with Ellingson and Kildahl Halls.
“Since many of the buildings were built in the 1950s and ’60s, it’s time for them to be renovated and for heating systems and windows to be upgraded and new ceilings and floors. This renovation will include different closets as well,” McDowell said.
The renovations will include some decorative changes such as new furniture, window shades, and paint. There will also be changes to the heating system to eliminate the noise caused by the old system. Every room will be equipped with a sprinkler system.
The size of the rooms will remain the same. However, there will be no triples, only doubles.
“We’ll lose some dorm rooms to mechanical equipment, and some bathrooms might need to be expanded. Also our intent is to create some more lounge spaces, so the capacity in Hill-Kitt will go down some,” said Director of Facilities Kevin Larson. “We’re not increasing the overall student population at St. Olaf; we’re going to decompress buildings so they’ll be able to do the expansion and be able to return lounge and study spaces back to the other dorms.”
When searching for a company to manage the renovations, the College prioritized companies that emphasized diversity in their hiring and working practices.
“When we look at any kind of building, we look to see if the company we’re working with has the scope and capability to do that or if we need to bid out the project. We’re looking for minority owned companies, we’re looking for women owned companies. So that’s really important when we’re picking is to have a DEI emphasis in their hiring practices and how they do the work,” McDowell said.
Room selection for fall of 2022 will be different as a result of Mohn becoming a first year dorm and the new dorm options opening. While Mohn currently offers students the opportunity to live in sextets and octets, the switch to Mohn being available to only first-year students means these options are no longer viable.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see what students do and how all the buildings re-shift and to see where seniors and juniors decide to go,” McDowell said. “And then sophomores will fill the spaces that weren’t filled.”
