Herkimer Hall Rehab Gets Rave Reviews From Students 

Rehabbed and refurnished study areas, lounges and dorm rooms are part of the upgrades at Herkimer Hall. (Photos by Gianluca Russo)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 18, 2017) — For incoming students, moving into a residence hall can be incredibly stressful. From worrying about roommates, to laundry, to fluctuating temperatures, there’s a lot to think about.

The Department of Residential Life is there to address these common concerns.

Over the past year, Herkimer Hall on Colonial Quad was renovated to give residents all the amenities they had been asking for.

“We were really listening to students and what they were looking for,” said Director of Residential Life Carol Perrin. “It was a full year renovation, and prior to that, it was a full year of design, working with the University’s Facility Management team and private architects from the outside to coordinate the whole design of the building.”

Herkimer Hall residents now have laundry facilities on each floor.

In total, the renovation cost $10 million. A major upgrade to the hall is controllable air conditioning in each room. Residents can control the temperature in every space within a four-degree range, between 68 and 72 degrees.

The residence hall also has laundry rooms on each floor, allowing students easy access to washing machines and dryers.

“I personally like how the laundry room is so close. I just walk two doors down and it’s right there,” said Jayme Deleon, a sophomore and Human Biology major.

Aside from laundry, Deleon raves about the many study spaces and lounges on each floor. Each one of the study spaces is equipped with a smart board available to use by any resident.

“The building is really nice since it’s brand new. The study locations are really cool. Since there’s so many of them, it’s pretty evenly distributed. At most, there will be maybe three or four people in one.”

Herkimer Hall is also equipped with wireless access in all sections, hydration stations, emergency phones in each lounge, access panels for those with disabilities and much more. Perrin says the students love the newly renovated hall.

“They absolutely love the space. Depending where they came from, some of them were in renovated buildings like Mohawk Tower, but some of them didn’t get the renovated space freshman year, so they appreciate the upgrade of what they were able to get.”

Markus Ricks, Colonial Quad Coordinator, added, “Every resident that I have talked to was pretty excited that they were moving into an air conditioned building, which was a first for Colonial Quad. The parents absolutely loved how beautiful the space is. They like the use of the study areas, the lounges and the laundry facilities on every floor.”

Ricks himself lives in Herkimer Hall, interacting with the students and hearing their concerns each day.

“I get a really great communal vibe [from the students].” he said. “At night, I’ll actually hang out with some of the residents; we’ll play video games downstairs or we’ll watch Netflix with everyone in the lounge.”

And more residence hall renovations are underway.

“We’re doing Beverwyck and Schuyler on Dutch Quad,” said Perrin, “in addition to bringing the Health and Counseling Center back on campus. So in summer/fall of 2019, we’ll be opening those two buildings in addition to the center.”

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