Two buildings, 66 and 70 Broad Street, began construction over the summer as part of Colgate University’s Third Century Plan. 70 Broad, known as “the Loj,” was the theme house for students involved in the University’s Outdoor Education (OE) program. Next door at 66 Broad Street is the chapter house of Delta Upsilon (DU), a fraternity on campus. The renovation of these neighboring spaces marks the beginning of Colgate’s long-term investment to transform residential and social experiences on Lower Campus.
Vice President and Dean of the College Paul J. McLoughlin spoke about these inaugural projects.
“While it will take several years and significant investments as part of Colgate’s Third Century Plan, this is an important milestone in the transformation underway at Colgate,” McLoughlin said on an email addressed to the Colgate community on Aug. 28.
The Lower Campus project will see the construction of a social center and a brand new section of residence halls for upperclassmen, referred to as West Row, which will be built behind the existing Broad Street houses.
“We have ambitious plans, which are, of course, going to take some time and a lot of resources, and I think the next steps will become clear after the board meeting in September,” McLoughlin said. “I have some plans and proposals for them.”
President Brian W. Casey described some of the more complicated aspects of renovating these old buildings.
“These are old buildings that were kind of modified in random ways every eight to 10 years by random groups of people. And you’re peeling them back, going, ‘Okay, we need to bring them up to code,’” Casey said. “We have to put in elevators. They all have to be ADA compliant. They have to have new safety measures.”
The University eventually plans to renovate all existing Broad Street houses before moving onto new construction, strategically choosing only a couple to close at a time. Still, renovations have become a temporary inconvenience to students who planned on residing in them. Once it was determined in Fall 2022 that 66 and 70 Broad Street would be the first buildings renovated, the Office of Residential Life began conversations with student and alumni groups connected with the houses, according to Terra Peckskamp, assistant vice president for residential planning and programs.
“The purpose of [these meetings] was to learn about what is important to the students in their living space, to hear about their community and to share information,” Peckskamp said. “Information from these meetings, and additional meetings with the students and alumni groups, was used to not only influence the renovation, but also to create a plan for ‘flex space’ housing during the renovation.”
During these discussions, DU expressed interest in maintaining their meal plan, ability to host social events and space to support recruitment efforts for their chapter, as well as preserving the character of the house. Students in “the Loj” wanted to create space for bicycle storage, improve the kitchen and preserve congregational spaces like their porch and living room.
Renovations at “the Loj” will include a new bathroom and additional third-floor bedrooms. All 20 residents will have single rooms. There are also plans to build a hybrid storage space for skis, canoes, bikes and other outdoor equipment.
The University moved DU residents to 104 Broad Street for the 2024-2025 academic year, a space with a similar capacity to 66 Broad Street and access to the nearby Parker Commons (the Mat) and kitchen.
“The basement was renovated to provide a better space for social hosting. This renovation also included an exterior entrance, to separate the social hosting space from the living space, as well as space for a chapter room. Some furniture such as couches and chairs and chapter items were moved from 66 Broad Street to 104 Broad Street over the summer,” Peckskamp said.
The Parker Apartments are a University-owned apartment complex that houses many students who are unaffiliated with the fraternity. The decision to continue the DU meal plan via the Parker catering kitchen proved frustrating for many of its residents, who now have limited access to the kitchen and laundromat, including senior Leah Massa.
“I feel bad that DU doesn’t have a kitchen, and I understand they need to use the space. However, it is frustrating that this means the Mat is only open to us from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.,” Massa said.
Students from “the Loj” were offered a townhouse to support their theme community and the option to co-locate to apartments in Parker or Upper Campus. 76 Broad Street was also given as an option, but it did not have a working kitchen and would therefore require residents to opt in to the University meal plan. According to Residential Life, students declined both offers, instead opting to enter the general housing selection.
Amidst these changes, the University reported working closely with students to mitigate any issues that arise, according to Peckenstamp.
“This is a new set-up for everyone involved. Staff from residential life, facilities, Campus Safety and fraternity and sorority advising are in contact with the students and the [DU] chef to work through any challenges that arise,” Peckskamp said. “This is the first of many renovations to Lower Campus, and we will use what we learn to not only support the currently impacted students but also in future renovations and relocations.”
According to McLoughlin, construction on 66 and 70 Broad Street are projected to wrap up in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, respectively.
Up the hill, the University will prioritize the residences with the most deferred maintenance first. A fifth commons will allow for the elimination of 113 Broad Street and Gate House.
McLoughlin laid out an ideal timeline of six years for the project, provided fundraising is successful. The University previously received a generous donation from former Colgate trustee Robert Fox ‘59, whose gift will fund the eponymous Fox Hall.
“[Fox] has given us the first gift for Fox Hall, but we’ll need more to complete the fifth commons, which at this moment is likely to be three buildings that will […] be sited where Gate House is today,” McLoughlin said.
Construction on Lower Campus will continue in phases once residences at 66 and 70 Broad Street are completed.
