Future Colorado State University Rams will not be able to call Durward Hall home — at least for a little while, as the building is currently slated to be remodeled. Renovations of Durward are set to begin this summer, according to CSU Housing & Dining Services, and students will be unable to live there the 2024-25 academic year.
Durward is one of two 12-story buildings on the north end of campus, which are commonly known as the towers, along with Westfall Hall. The residence hall is predominantly home to first-year students at CSU.
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While planning for the upcoming renovation, HDS spent time determining the best plan of action for ensuring there will be enough space for Durward’s would-be residents during the 2024-25 academic year while the building is unavailable.
“Space has been made available in CSU’s 14 other residence halls,” HDS Director of Communications and Sustainability Marianne Wieghaus said. “Housing & Dining Services conducted a space audit in 2022-23 and has been able to add new spaces in existing facilities to help account for impacts of planned construction, anticipated enrollment growth and the changing needs and housing preferences of students.”
Currently, the plan is for the Durward renovation project to be completed in time for the start of the 2025-26 academic year. If everything goes according to plan, students will be able to live in the residence hall beginning again in fall 2025.
Renovations have not yet begun, as there are still students residing in the building. Currently, the project is in the design phase, said Maria Blair, a project manager with Swinerton, the construction company working on the project as the general contractor. Also working on the project is Gensler, a design and architecture firm based out of California.
Blair said the planned renovations will be similar to the recent renovations on Westfall Hall, which were completed in 2023.
“Key improvements will be new and more efficient windows, new flooring, LED lighting, new window coverings and furniture and fresh paint,” Wieghaus said. “The project will also include some upgrades to mechanical and plumbing systems.”
The remodel will be entirely interior, meaning the exterior of the building will be preserved, according to HDS. While the inside will be different, the well-known sight of the towers standing tall on campus isn’t going to change anytime soon.
“We look forward to updating Durward Hall while respecting the history of the building,” Blair said.
Durward has an interesting history; it was originally built as a women’s hall in 1967, while Westfall was the men’s hall. Additionally, Westfall and Durward were the last residence halls at CSU to be separated by gender. The residence halls built after 1967, including Summit Hall and those in Laurel Village, are all coed.
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Durward’s remodel isn’t just to create more space for students, though; it is also a way to make campus more sustainable, as renovating a preexisting space is more environmentally friendly than starting from scratch. It will fit right in with CSU’s other sustainability initiatives, including the elimination of parking lots to make space for bike paths and pedestrian walkways.
“(We are happy for the) opportunity to be part of this exciting project, which is contributing to the betterment of the collegiate experience for CSU students,” Blair said.
Reach Aubree Miller at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
