Renovations are now completed for the final building on the Lakeside area of campus, Scales Hall.
The building, originally completed in 1961, underwent drastic changes after closing last spring. Renovation costs totaled to approximately $13 million.
“Part of what we’ve done over the years is, we’ve had a company come in, review all of our residence halls, their condition and they would tell us within reason what kinds of things have to get done,” said Richard Kolenda, assistant vice president for Residence Life and Housing. “And we could see, by the report, which ones needed to have renovations sooner than the others.”
The process for renovating the residence halls begin with contractors submitting a bid for their design. Once one is chosen, the landscaping begins following the decision. As it applies to Scales, the conception of its old look to its finished state took two years. Scales Halls’ neighbor, Waterbury Hall, is similar in design with some noticeable changes.
One of these differences is the layout of the first floor, with obvious modifications to the location of the front desk, in relation to Waterbury, and unique changes, such as adjustments to Scales’ first-floor lounge and the basement.
“I think what everybody likes the most are the bathrooms. In Johnson, there’s glass, so you can see the figure next to you while you shower. It’s really weird,” Frankia Wright, Oswego State sophomore, said. “In comparison, I think it’s very futuristic compared to here [Hart Hall].”
Scales borrows much of its design and amenities from Waterbury. The Scales bathrooms now have a modern style, with private areas including showers. Scales also has new furniture, a kitchen on every floor, updated lounges and an improved computer lab.
According to Kolenda, the input that students provided, either directly to Residence Life and Housing or via surveys, regarding these specific wants and needs became key issues when it came to the renovation.
“The next building, if all goes to plan, would be Funnelle Hall,” Kolenda said. “But that won’t be until several years down the road until all of these get done.”
Photo: Rachel Futterman | The Oswegonian
