The SUNY New Paltz community celebrated the successful renovation of Awosting Hall, one of the university’s 14 student residence halls, at an open house event on January 31.
Highlights of the building upgrades include the addition of a fourth floor, which increases student housing capacity by 79 beds and sustainability enhancements in alignment with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green construction standards.
“High-quality residential life is so important to overall student success,” said SUNY New Paltz president Darrell P. Wheeler. “Awosting delivers on this goal, and we’re thrilled that this 56-year-old building has been upgraded and will enhance the student living experience. I extend sincere thanks to our project partners at the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY), to outside experts with various design and construction firms and to the many colleagues across campus whose commitment to this space and to our students fueled a successful renovation that will support student well-being for years to come.”
Awosting Hall open house attendees included President Wheeler, students, campus staff, DASNY officials and representatives from design, architecture and construction partners.
Roughly 280 New Paltz students have already settled into their new and improved campus home after it reopened at the end of the fall 2023 semester. These students moved over from Mohonk Hall, which will remain vacant as a similar renovation project there is now underway. The reopening of Mohonk Hall is anticipated in 2025.\
For the new residents of Awosting Hall, the building is more than a housing upgrade; it’s also a symbol of the community’s resilience. Prior to its reopening, Awosting had served as the university’s Covid-19 testing site and an isolation space for students recovering from illness.
“Awosting now has a new life, as it is transformed from a place of isolation and uncertainty to a homey and lively place,” said Ann DiMarco, an Awosting Hall resident assistant. “This experience required time, energy, understanding and adaptability from all of us, and we rose to the challenge.”
Awosting Hall is the fourth of five Peregrine Complex residence halls to receive a full gut renovation in recent years, having been preceded by Ashokan, Shawangunk and Minnewaska halls, with the Mohonk Hall project representing the completion of this cycle. Awosting Hall residents live in suite-style rooms furnished with lofted beds that allow for more storage, full-size desks and taller wardrobes with interior mirrors and additional drawers. Students also have access to two large common-use lounges with modern furniture and rich natural lighting, a designated office for hall government, a study room, a computer room and expanded laundry facilities.
The construction cost of the Awosting Hall renovation is roughly $38 million with a project budget of approximately $42 million. Like all residence hall construction projects in the SUNY system, financing for this project comes from bonds purchased via the DASNY. The debt service on these bonds does not come from taxpayer dollars or tuition, but from housing fees paid by students.
The Awosting Hall renovation created an estimated 160 construction jobs for Hudson Valley and New York residents, underscoring the economic value generated to our region and state by major campus infrastructure projects.
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