$15.9M Project to Modernize Bathrooms, Add Bedrooms at Penn State’s Hamilton Hall

Penn State’s Board of Trustees on Friday authorized a $15.9 million project to renovate bathrooms and add bed capacity in one of the older residence halls on the University Park campus.

The renovations will modernize the bathrooms in the 74-year-old Hamilton Hall, located in the West Halls complex. One of the four primary bathroom sections was updated in 2019, but the remainder are original to the building and “lack sufficient privacy, require ADA improvements and do not meet the expectations of today’s students.”

The renovated restroom facilities will each have multiple private bathrooms, a configuration the university has used in other recent residence hall renovations.

“These upgrades reflect our commitment to providing students with a modern and comfortable living environment that enhances their college experience,” David Snyder, associate vice president for Auxiliary and Business Services, said in a statement.

Underused storage spaces on the third and fourth floors will also be converted to bedrooms as part of the project, adding 39 beds to the existing inventory of 626.

Work is scheduled to begin this fall and will be done one section at a time to minimize impact on student residents. Hoffman Leakey Architects of Bellefonte designed the renovations.

The Hamilton Hall project is among several recent and upcoming residence hall renovations — though not nearly as extensive as work on other dormitories.

Penn State recently completed a 10-year overhaul of the East Halls dorms and is planning to begin renovations on all nine of the residence halls at Pollock Halls next year.