Yesterday the University announced plans to renovate Du Bois College House beginning in March. The updates will be completed by fall of this year.
The renovation is part of the administration's continuing efforts to improve the 11 college houses and Sansom Place East and West.
Architectural firm MGA partners - the firm that renovated the high-rise college houses - will lead the project, Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in an e-mail.
According to Lea-Kruger, the building's renovation plans include student rooms, public spaces and the building's exterior. The building's exterior will be washed, new windows installed and masonry restored.
While the excavation will begin in March, most of the work will take place over the summer to minimize disruption of student life.
"They're taking care of all the right things, so I'm happy about it," College junior and second-year Du Bois resident Eric Augenbraun said.
Du Bois House Dean Patricia Williams said she is elated at the announcement of the pending renovations, adding that the project is beginning sooner than the previously-projected date of 2010.
The NAACP, United Minorities Council, Du Bois House Council and Undergraduate Assembly collaborated in the effort to jump-start the project, with the added help of Williams, Facilities and Real Estate Services Vice President Anne Papageorge and Vice Provost for University Life associate Vice Provost for equity and access William Gipson.
College senior and Du Bois resident Allison Lane, president of Penn's NAACP chapter, said, "These are the first waves of renovation that Du Bois has seen since it's been erected," adding that other college houses have consistently received greater attention.
"We're just glad it's happening at all," Williams said, attributing the project's early start to Penn administrators taking a "concerted effort" by house administrators and students seriously.
Williams said administrators saw the Du Bois House conditions and realized it was "in dire need" of renovations. She listed the heating system, carpeting and windows as the building's main problem areas, all of which will be repaired during the renovation.
"It got to the point where people were adamant about demanding these changes," Augenbraun said, adding that the renovations are coming at "the right time, if not a little bit late."
The renovation will preserve the W.E.B. Du Bois' mission by "enhancing residents' quality of life [and] providing a fine learning environment for the men and women of Penn and West Philadelphia," Penn President Amy Gutmann said in a press release.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.