One of three surviving, original historic buildings on the Yellow Springs campus, South Hall first opened in 1853 as the college’s men’s dormitory.
Originally renovated in 1994, South Hall closed in June 2008 with the demise of the private liberal arts college, founded in 1852.
A sprinkler system pipe on the fourth floor of the unheated building burst in December 2008, flooding South Hall’s east end, said John Feinberg, the college’s architectural conservator and preservation planner.
South Hall was restored by contractors and volunteers at a cost between $165,000 and $175,000, including a new $80,000 heat plant for the building, Feinberg said. Work started in September, after the campus and other assets were transferred from Antioch University.
“The real critical piece that we’re trying to achieve in the first six months here is to protect these historic assets of the college,” said Matthew Derr, interim president of the college.
More than 25 campus buildings have been identified as being in critical need of repair, at a projected cost of more than $20 million, Derr said.
Antioch College has hired 42 staff members to date, many of whom will start moving into South Hall next week from rented facilities off campus.
“It’s coming home,” said Feinberg, a 1970 Antioch alumnus who has regularly traveled to Yellow Springs since September to oversee the campus restoration.
Work has started on eight buildings in need of repair after years of deferred maintenance.
Plans call for the installation of geothermal energy systems and more energy efficient lighting and windows. “Our goal is 10 percent of previous energy use for lighting,” Feinberg said.
The projects won’t all be complete by fall 2011, when Antioch is scheduled to re-open to students, Derr said.
“We will start with a small student enrollment and those students will have all the facilities they need,” Derr said. “As the college grows, the facilities will grow.”
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