The University is developing a plan to renovate Rockefeller and Mathey Residential Colleges over a 10 to 15 year period, along with unaffiliated upperclass housing that has not been renovated since 2010.
This year, the University will accept bids for the renovations from consultants, despite a more constrained fiscal outlook. University President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 announced in February that Princeton will adjust its capital planning in response to lower-than-expected endowment growth and broader economic uncertainty, including reassessing the pace of construction projects. Even so, the long-term plan to renovate older housing will move forward, with the details designed with budget constraints in mind, according to University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill.
The University continues to expand its undergraduate housing, with Hobson College set to open in the spring of 2027, following the unveiling of Yeh College and New College West in 2022. However, much of the student body lives in older dormitories.
Rocky and Mathey College dorms were built in the late-19th and early-20th centuries and have not been extensively updated since the 2000s. Most upperclass dorms have not seen significant renovations since the 1999 to 2010 period, according to Morrill.
Students have long had concerns about the living conditions of older dormitories.
“I feel like this year I’ve noticed a lot more issues, for example, the radiator had a lot of problems and I had mice in my room,” shared Angie Rodriguez ’26, who lives in 1901-Laughlin Hall. “I think the radiator was really annoying because there was a point where I had to turn it all the way up in order to stop it from clanking,” she added.
“There’s really no reason why, if the University has so much money, that I should be waking up at 3 a.m. from the clanking,” she said.
“The flooring in my area is really patchy, all of the wax on the floor is gone so if you spill something it seeps into the wood which is a little bit uncomfortable,” said Claire Meng ’26, who lives in Joline Hall in Mathey College.
“I would like to see the bathrooms renovated, there’s some mold that’s been there for six months now,” Rishi Subramanian ’28 said about what he would like to see improved.
“The University will do a comprehensive evaluation of the spaces to determine the scope of the renovation, including a review of bathrooms and building systems, accessibility, finishes, infrastructure, and social spaces,” wrote Morrill in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. “This review will focus on comfort, security, efficiency, sustainability, and functionality,” she added.
The renovation projects will be funded by the University’s capital plan, said Morrill.
Students also shared their thoughts on a 10–15 year renovation plan.
“I think temperature control would be something that I would prioritize … and whatever it is that makes animals come into residential colleges, let’s improve that,” said Shivani Sahu ’27, who lives in Butler College. “I’ve heard so many stories of people having bats, and mice, and squirrels and things like that.”
“I don’t really know how funding is going for the University, because I know there are a lot of budget cuts, but if we have Hobson and we have enough space to live, I think we should be fine,” shared Emily Chen ’29, who lives in Forbes College.
University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi stated in 2024 that Forbes would be renovated in the summer of 2027, during which Forbes staff and students would relocate to Hobson College. However, when asked about the current Forbes renovation timeline, Morrill stated that “the plan for any renovations at Forbes is still being discussed and are not finalized.”
In light of ongoing budget cuts, the University says that budgeting concerns will shape the approach of renovations but not stop them from taking place. “The dorm renovation plan is designed to be scalable in an environment of economic uncertainty,” stated Morrill.
The University is currently developing a Request for Proposal that is set to be “competitively” bid by consultants later this year, according to Morrill. The selected consultant will work with the University to identify the scope, tradeoffs, and priorities across the buildings.
Giselle Moreno is a News contributor from Dallas. She can be reached at gm2076[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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