Forbes renovation scope still undecided as Hobson prepares to open

Nearly six months after the University announced it was accepting consultant bids for a campus-wide dorm renovation plan, the scope and timeline for Forbes College’s own renovation remain unsettled by the University, according to University spokesperson Ahmad Rizvi. The uncertainty lingers as Forbes students prepare to become the first cohort to live in Hobson College next year.

Hobson, built on the site of First College, formerly named Wilson College, is slated to open in the summer of 2027, according to a Tuesday email to Forbes students from Dean of the College Michael Gordin and Vice President for Campus Life W. Rochelle Calhoun on behalf of the Council of College Heads.

Current Forbes students will have their college affiliation changed to Hobson beginning in the 2027–28 academic year. Rising Forbes sophomores will move into Hobson rooms with the Spring 2027 room draw, while Forbes-affiliated members of the classes of 2028 and 2029 will have the chance to draw in as well.

Forbes itself will close for renovations the summer Hobson opens and will likely be under renovation for a year, Rizvi wrote to The Daily Princetonian. However, the bid process has not yet concluded. While the extent of the Main Inn and North Wing renovations is yet to be determined, the project will update old equipment and provide repairs, Rizvi added.

The first head of Hobson has also not been announced; in the email to Forbes students, the Council of College Heads said that news would come “early in the new year.” The current head of Forbes College is Maria Garlock, who stepped into the role on July 1, 2018.

That timeline is separate from the broader, decade-plus renovation effort first outlined in March, when former University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill told the ‘Prince’ that the University was developing a plan spanning 10 to 15 years to renovate Rockefeller and Mathey Colleges along with unaffiliated upperclass housing.

The renovation news comes a year after Forbes marked its 100th anniversary, adding a layer of sentiment to how some students are processing the college’s relationship to Hobson.

Student reactions to the coming transition were mixed. Current Forbes resident Maggie Liu ’30 told the ‘Prince’ that she is “excited” about moving to Hobson “because it's gonna be much closer to just kind of the center of campus … It takes me 20 minutes to walk to my farthest class.” 

Jax Brown ’30, also a resident of Forbes, is excited to “get a different range of experiences” but will ultimately “miss being this close to McCarter and the LCA.”

Kylie Shulman ’29, who has lived in Forbes for a year, isn’t required to move to Hobson, but will have the option to. Shulman said she is “excited for the opportunity to live in a brand new residential college” and plans to “try and draw into it in the spring.”

Fellow Forbes sophomore Drew Lankford ’29 was less decided: “I’ll consider it for sure,” he said.

A firm to design the broader dorm renovation plan has not yet been chosen, either. “There is currently a Request for Proposal process in progress to select a firm to develop the plan,” Rizvi wrote. “The selected consultant will help the University identify renovation scope and sequence, choices and tradeoffs, as well as identify priorities within and across buildings.”

Priorities for the broader campus renovations, Rizvi added, will “balance student demand and community priorities with existing building condition, life‑safety and systems functionality, construction logistics (including alternate space and dining operations), cost and schedule, and long‑term campus goals for well‑being, living and learning integration, and community.”

These renovations to Forbes come amidst wider concern over aging upperclass dormitory conditions, including mice, clanking radiators, mold, and worn flooring. 

Both Shulman and Lankford told the ‘Prince’ that they are sad to leave the Forbes community. Forbes “is kind of my home,” Shulman said. 

“Personally, I think [Forbes is] pretty homey,” Lankford said. “I have a feeling it’s gonna get renovated, and they’re gonna take a lot of the charm away.”

Hobson College will be named after Mellody Hobson ’91, former chair of the Starbucks Board of Directors, former chairman of the Board of DreamWorks Animation, and current co-CEO of Ariel Investments. The gift was made in conjunction with the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, and will be the first college at Princeton named after a Black woman. 

Kheina Gaillard ’30 was optimistic about the closing of Forbes and transition to Hobson, pointing to the college’s namesake: “I liked how they changed the name from being inspired from Woodrow Wilson to a Black woman instead … I think being associated with Hobson would still be just as great.” 

Daphne Lewis is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Washington, D.C.

Gus Vogel is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Brookline, Mass.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.