Emerson Hall Restoration Scales Up

The request—and approval—came as construction plans (and budget estimates) inched closer to completion, and as a result of the interest in the project among college alumni, many of whom once lived in the building.

While the building will still open to students in the fall of 2016 (with 55 beds expected), the project team is planning to raise and invest another $300,000 to $400,000 in the building.

“We now have a clearer picture of the required budget,” Vice President for Human Resources and Operations Lori Rhead says. The updated estimates, which have the college spending around $1.3 million in donor funds on the building, “seems to make sense for our long-term programming and needs.”

But there’s another reason to spend a little more, says Beth Monteiro, vice president for development and alumni relations. “Alumni interest in this project is very high,” she says. While the project is primarily being supported by leadership gifts from two families, “a greater investment will help better sustain this building into the future—and help to reestablish it as the campus jewel it once was. That’s something many alumni want to be a part of.”