A glimpse within the new 'ellipse' Poe Field dorm

Sophomores or juniors awakened by jackhammers and cement mixers working on the "ellipse" dormitory next to Poe Field over the last two years might feel happier about the construction this spring, when the brand-new rooms become available for upperclass room draw.

Though the 220-bed dorm will not be officially completed until September move-in, floor plans will be available online from the housing department before room draw, said George Olexa, assistant director of physical planning.

Olexa gave The Daily Princetonian a tour of the $27 million building, which is on schedule and on budget, though still in need of extensive interior work.

The ellipse dorm — named for the shallow curve it forms, along with Scully and the Carl Icahn Laboratory, against Poe Field — features 15 four-room, four-person suites as well as many single rooms and singles connected by a bathroom, as in Scully.

But unlike Scully, the ground floor suites will be accessed by entryways like those in the Gothic dorms, the single rooms will be larger by an average of 30 square feet and all rooms will feature hardwood flooring.

The architecture is more ornamented than in Scully.

"I love the roofline. You don't always see the same aspect of the building," Olexa said. The dorm features a reinforced brick exterior, a crenellated roofline and zigzagging windows.

The most distinctive feature of the building, however, is the large arch that separates its east and west wings, connecting Elm Drive to Poe Field. One reason the arch is there is so the P-Rade may pass through during Reunions, Olexa said. "It's high enough for the floats and trucks to go straight through," he said. Over the arch are student rooms with views up-campus and over the field.

Olexa said the dorm's "party rooms" are the four-person suites at the ends of the building that have cathedral ceilings and multiple windows.

The single dorms are all at least 150 square feet, he said.

The four-story building features a kitchen and dining room with an outdoor terrace, four laundry rooms, two study rooms and air conditioning.

In the basement, one wing is dedicated to practice rooms for a cappella groups. The rooms are acoustically isolated with double walls and rubber-damped suspending cables.

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The rest of the basement will become the studio of the University's radio station, WPRB. The studio will be significantly larger than the station's current location in Holder Hall, Olexa said.

Even in its first year, Scully Hall filled up quickly, and this building should be popular next year as well, he said.

The building will be an upperclass dormitory until 2008, when Butler College is rebuilt. Then it will become part of the residential college's new layout.

The architect for the project is Michael Dennis Associates of Boston.