The walkway between the back of Williams Hall and Penn Commons has reopened for foot traffic as the construction project on the West Wing of College Hall nears its final stages.
The University partially removed the fencing surrounding College Hall on Oct. 21, allowing students to use the full area of the plaza in front of Houston Hall. The fencing was part of a two-year renovation project of College Hall, which is set to finish in January, according to Director of Design and Construction, Facilities, and Real Estate Services Jennifer Kinkead.
"Fencing removal at Penn Commons is part of a phased plan to remove fencing and scaffolding around the West Wing of College Hall as the exterior construction nears completion," Kinkead wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Kinkead wrote that fencing will remain on the building's west side through the end of the fall semester. She added that the West Wing will open to the Penn community at the start of the spring semester of 2025.
Students reacted positively to the convenience of accessing Houston Hall now that the fencing is removed.
College junior Joseph Katz said that, as an off-campus student, he doesn’t have much reason to visit Penn Commons compared to other areas closer to his residence. However, he said he appreciated the convenience of the construction coming down.
“I'm so happy it's gone,” Katz said. “It makes the space feel wide open, it's like, you know, you can come through that way.”
Houston Hall is equipped with student staff members who inform the community, answer questions, and offer directions to passersby. College sophomore and welcome desk assistant Eileen Miranda noted that the construction’s absence will make it easier for visitors to navigate the area.
“When people were trying to get to [Claudia] Cohen Hall, they'd come in and ask us for directions but they'd always end up confused, like parents or non-Penn students,” Miranda said. “They come to us with directions and [we’re] like, ‘Oh, but it's blocked off.’”
Senior lecturer Melanie Peron, who teaches French History and Culture in Williams Hall, said that she quickly noticed the construction’s absence Tuesday morning in a discussion with her daughter, College junior Iris Peron-Ames.
“The first thing I did this morning was to send her a picture of it and say, 'Hey, Houston is reopened,'” Peron said.
The change prompted Peron and her daughter to visit the newly reopened space together.
Miranda, who will work at Houston’s welcome desk three to five days a week this semester, said that she believes the construction’s absence will benefit her and the community.
“I think I will probably get into Houston more through [the open space] because it's easier than going all around Locust and entering through the only entrance that we have access to during the construction,” Miranda said. “It's like a little shortcut.”
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