Residence Halls & apartments

[valpotx]

Just thought I'd add an update. The first residents, 60 international student-scholars from Ecuador, have moved into the Promenade apartments this week.

Sort of like a small Guayaquil with those near the top feeling closer to the Andes.

It's good to see that the University is pursuing true global diversity, as opposed to what was looking to be a narrow focus in the Middle East.  In fact, it's great to see. 

Yes, great to see that we are getting 'bulk' from other areas of the world

[bbtds]

Gee I wish you guys would Quit(o) posting things like that

Speaking of Quito, Ecuador, I was surprised to read that the temperature fluctuates between middle 60's during the day and low 40's in the evenings even though it sits on the equator due to it being in the Andes mountains. Since there is no seasonal transition due to being on the equator the temps never change and the night time is equal to the daytime and also doesn't change. The sun goes down about 7:00 p.m. every day.

[talksalot]

And, just for the TKE  aka 807 Mound Street folks, the guys moving in this fall will be an unofficial home of the Sigma Chi fraternity (Not Sigma Pi)...this is a relatively new group that a few years ago had a house on Union (just up the street from the STG house)... but that burned down. Most of the rooms at 807 are 3-person rooms with a living room.  WiFi is a challenge ... the building is completely cinder block and rebar-enforced concrete floors.

[valpotx]

Hmm, didn't know that Sigma Chi had a house.  I seem to remember a bunch of Sigma Chi people on my floor at Memorial later in my Valpo years.

[valporun]

tx, I remember a lot of Sigma Chis living in Memorial my true senior year. I don't believe they had a house until recently, and even then I believe it took over one of the other fraternity houses? I'm probably wrong on this, but I haven't had a good memory about these kind of details for about 7 years now.

[Dave_2010]

Sigma Chi had a house several decades ago that was somehow destroyed (fire, I believe...but don't quote me on that). When their house ceased to exist, the bulk of the fraternity moved into Memorial. In the years (decades) since, they have managed to use the dormroom assignment system to their advantage and get most of their sophomore members in that building (impressive, especially since a significant number of sophomore males are stuck in Brandt). In addition, the fraternity's seniors have been renting the same 2 houses (used to be three) from a landlord annually which they use as "unofficial" houses to host parties and get around many of the rules imposed on fraternities with registered houses.

[vu72]

Sigma Chi had a house several decades ago that was somehow destroyed (fire, I believe...but don't quote me on that). When their house ceased to exist, the bulk of the fraternity moved into Memorial. In the years (decades) since, they have managed to use the dormroom assignment system to their advantage and get most of their sophomore members in that building (impressive, especially since a significant number of sophomore males are stuck in Brandt). In addition, the fraternity's seniors have been renting the same 2 houses (used to be three) from a landlord annually which they use as "unofficial" houses to host parties and get around many of the rules imposed on fraternities with registered houses.

Sigma Chi was granted a chapter in March, 1990.  "Decades" might be a slight overstatement.

[okinawatyphoon]

The Valpo admission tumblr page posted some renderings of the new residence hall. Not terrible, but seem to be a little more plain that Guild/Memorial despite having some similar elements.

http://valpoadmission.tumblr.com/post/52707970567/drawings-of-what-the-new-dorm-will-look-like

[agibson]

A little bigger than I'd realized, interesting.  The house-like structure on the side is interesting as well.

The old health center is now 100% gone and a couple of tennis courts torn up.  (Demolition of the hospital continues too - but maybe a little more methodically.)

[okinawatyphoon]

A little bigger than I'd realized, interesting.  The house-like structure on the side is interesting as well.

The old health center is now 100% gone and a couple of tennis courts torn up.  (Demolition of the hospital continues too - but maybe a little more methodically.)

I am glad that awful health center is gone.....good riddance! This new residence hall will really improve the look of the northern part of campus. Soon, the north entrance could rival the US 30 entrance!

[okinawatyphoon]

Construction is progressing nicely. This is going to be a pretty massive dorm! The photo is from the Valpo Residential Life Facebook page.

[okinawatyphoon]

From about a month ago from the Residential Life Facebook page -- the basement is progressing nicely. DId anyone happen to see the progress during Homecoming??

[valpotx]

Thanks for the update!

[okinawatyphoon]

Something struck me while thinking about the new residence hall: where is the parking? This is supposed to be catering to upperclassmen (I believe), but there doesn't seem to be any parking associated with the development. The site is pretty closed off with the tennis courts to the south, Laporte Ave to the north, and University drive to the east.

[historyman]

Something struck me while thinking about the new residence hall: where is the parking? This is supposed to be catering to upperclassmen (I believe), but there doesn't seem to be any parking associated with the development. The site is pretty closed off with the tennis courts to the south, Laporte Ave to the north, and University drive to the east.

I believe the new parking garage attached to the Harre Union along with the parking garage already built by Alumni and Brandt/Wehrenberg dorms are supposed to handle the parking needs of all the dorm students. I would think the parking garage for the Harre Union will be the next construction on campus and will be completed quickly.

[78crusader]

I'd be interested in what historyman and others think about placing a parking structure next to the Harre Union. To me it seems like a bad idea since the Union is a beautiful building and because the goal --I thought-- was to move parking to the campus perimeter.

Paul

[VULB#62]

Hopefully the architect designs a structure that complements the building's design.  I've seen some very nice parking structures that you'd have to look twice at before realizing it was what it was.  Based on what I see in photos of the residence hall, digging down for sub-elevation levels could keep the structure's profile lower than the Union.

[historyman]

I'd be interested in what historyman and others think about placing a parking structure next to the Harre Union. To me it seems like a bad idea since the Union is a beautiful building and because the goal --I thought-- was to move parking to the campus perimeter.

I think it comes down to how the parking garage's outside appearance melds with the outside look of the Harre Union. If done with aesthetic guidance (purpose hidden within the building structure making the garage seem like an extention of the union) then it will be fine. I don't think the parking garage by Alumni and Brandt/Wehrenberg makes the campus look any better yet at the same time any worse. Maybe more crowded and with less green space but that is inevitable. The garage should be totally hidden from view of the quad that is planned which will be enclosed by the Harre Union, Chapel of the Resurrection, Christopher Library, Arts and Sciences Building, future Nursing building and future labs/academic buildings (to go where the parking lot south of the softball field is now), Guild/Memorial and Mueller Hall. That quad will have a fairly large green space between the Arts & Sciences building and a future academic building primarily in the space where Huegli/Deaconess Hall had previously occupied.


As you might guess once the parking lots by the softball field are gone that parking garage is greatly needed. Adding in the former hospital parking garage to the parking situation on the north side of the campus will help but the parking by the dorms is the most critical.

[okinawatyphoon]

I'm all for parking structures. They save green space and can be less unsightly than endless parking lots. I hope the parking garage behind the Union is given top priority and then we can eliminate some of the surface parking nearby and increase the green space. The master plan shows the garage behind the Union connected by a second-story bridge--that would be ideal. 

[a3uge]

The parking garage should go right over existing lots.

Here's my google maps overlay:
http://goo.gl/maps/N9jwW

See full master plan map: http://www.valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/Masterplan_Map_poster.pdf

And the pdf with the renderings
http://www.valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/VU%20MP%20Exec%20Summary_final.pdf

[okinawatyphoon]

Thanks for posting, a3. I realize that the rendering of the parking garage is probably just generic, but I hope it resembles something like that when it's complete. 

[a3uge]

Thanks for posting, a3. I realize that the rendering of the parking garage is probably just generic, but I hope it resembles something like that when it's complete. 

It also shows cars safely parked on top, so yeah, maybe this is an unrealistic rendering for a Valpo parking garage.

[covufan]

It also shows cars safely parked on top, so yeah, maybe this is an unrealistic rendering for a Valpo parking garage.

OK, there is a dig here I'm not understanding, but I've only been on campus once (summer '10?) in the last 15 years. 

[vu72]

Residence Hall going up quickly!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/valparaiso_university/10982020724/#in/photostream/

[okinawatyphoon]

The new residence hall is now up to 4 floors: