WKU Begins Renovation Project At Pearce-Ford Tower

July 24, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University’s Pearce-Ford Tower, the state’s tallest residence hall, is getting a $9.5 million makeover.

The project at the 27-story co-ed residence hall began this summer with completion scheduled by the summer of 2010.

This summer’s work includes a complete transformation of the Pearce-Ford Tower lobby, renovation of the second floor office and multipurpose area, addition of an elevator stop on the second floor, and the installation of a new fire alarm system throughout the building and new ceilings and lighting in the hallways, said Brian Kuster, director of Housing and Residence Life.

Later this year, a 3,000-square-foot convenience store/restaurant will be added to the first floor.

The project at Pearce-Ford Tower, which houses 860 students, will continue during the next three summers with renovations to bedrooms, bathrooms and the multipurpose area on the 27th floor. The renovated rooms will include new flooring, lighting, painting, window blinds, furniture, HVAC unit and additional electrical outlets. The plans include different room configurations -- private rooms, double rooms and suites – that will reduce the building’s population density.

“The Student Life Foundation is making another major investment in renovating and upgrading WKU’s residence halls,” said Don Stoneburg, project manager.

Since 2000, the Student Life Foundation has invested more than $60 million in residence hall renovations. By 2010, when renovations of Pearce-Ford Tower, Keen Hall, McCormack Hall, Gilbert Hall and Rodes-Harlin Hall are completed, that investment will approach $75 million, Stoneburg said.

The focus this summer at Pearce-Ford Tower has been on making the lobby more inviting by covering concrete walls with drywall and wood-grain laminate. A more colorful landscape plan also has been developed. The cost of the lobby and landscaping work is approximately $400,000.

“Students will notice a dramatic difference in the lobby,” Stoneburg said. “This is not the lobby they left last spring.”

With a softer look, more comfortable seating and a redesigned front desk, Kuster said, “Pearce-Ford Tower will be more like a hotel lobby than a residence hall lobby.”

The upgraded fire alarm system, which cost $400,000, adds an alarm speaker in each room and one room on each floor is being equipped with an alarm and strobe light for the hearing-impaired, Stoneburg said.
               
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Brian Kuster at (270) 745-2037.