Kilachand Hall Renovation
We are thrilled to announce an exciting next phase for Kilachand Hall – a major renovation to the ninth floor space alongside other additions and improvements to our historic building.
The Kilachand Hall project will begin in earnest following commencement in May 2022 and is scheduled to be completed in August 2023. We look forward to unveiling our updated and redesigned spaces in fall 2023! Please explore below to learn more about the work we’ll be seeing during this exciting time and how the project may impact our community.
Subscribe to receive notices and stay informed about the project’s progress on the BU Campus Planning & Operations website.
View the artist renderings of the 9th floor renovation from Finegold Alexander Architects.
We are thrilled to begin this long-anticipated project and are grateful to Dr. Rajen Kilachand for his generous support! This project will transform Kilachand Hall, bridging its 1923 roots with a new era. We will add a new stairwell and new student elevators to access the residence on the west side of the building. This will necessitate the redesign of some living spaces around the new elevator core, including a renovation of the ADA accessible rooms to ensure they are meeting the needs of our students. Improvements will also be made to the restrooms in each resident suite to provide added exhaust airflow to these spaces. Most noticeably will be a full demolition and redesign of the ninth floor to serve Kilachand Honors College, its students, and the University community so all can enjoy our breathtaking river and skyline views in a modern and comfortable space. Finally, there will be extensive exterior work performed on the brick façade to maintain the historical aspects of the building that make Kilachand Hall so distinctive. Kilachand Hall Renovation Project Overview
Q: How will the ongoing construction impact living in Kilachand Hall? The building will be available as a residence during construction. For the duration of the project the eighth floor will be closed to allow the construction team to work on the ninth floor. Exterior work will also continue during the academic year. Students will be notified in advance of any work that is occurring near their windows and this work will be coordinated with Residence Life so visual barriers can be installed for students’ privacy. It is expected that most of the disruptive work will occur over the summer months when the building is unoccupied. During the academic year, every effort will be made to minimize disruptive work and potential impact on residents. Q: How will this impact room selection for incoming and continuing Kilachand students? During this time, Kilachand Honors College first-year students will have the option to live in Kilachand Hall or to live on a Kilachand floor in the nearby *610 Beacon Street building if they feel the construction will be too disruptive. The Kilachand floor at 610 Beacon Street will have a Kilachand Honors College Resident Assistant and Kilachand programming and events will be hosted centrally, at 610 Beacon Street, and at Kilachand Hall to facilitate full participation of the Kilachand community while the Kilachand residential experience is atypical. Continuing Kilachand students who opt to remain in a Kilachand specialty residential community will have the option to select rooms on the sixth floor of Kilachand Hall and in Kilachand House, and there will be spaces reserved on the Kilachand floor at 610 Beacon Street as well. *At Kilachand Honors College we use the 610 Beacon Street designation for the dorm officially named “Myles Standish Hall” to honor a campaign that has been organized by Kilachand faculty and students in coordination with the local Massachusett tribe, whose ancestral lands Boston University occupies, to change the name of the building. To learn more about this effort, please see the dropdown below. Q: Will living at Kilachand Hall cost the same during construction? BU Housing has reduced the rental rate for fall 2022 and spring 2023 by 25 percent for students who chose to live in Kilachand Hall during the renovation project. Residences rates are posted here and will be updated for 2022-2023 soon. Q: Will the Kilachand Hall still have air conditioning and heating during the construction period? Yes. The renovation project will not impact the HVAC or heating systems in the building. Q: How will the project impact students’ access to Kilachand Hall’s resources on the first floor of the building? There will be direct access to the laundry room, mail room, and bike storage on the west side of the building. Kilachand Common Room and the kitchen will not be impacted by the project. The Kilachand Honors College offices will not be impacted. The Residence Life offices will be relocated and we will update this page when those temporary spaces have been confirmed. Q: Will the 9th floor be closed for the entire year? The 8th and 9th floors will be closed for the duration of the project but will be worth the wait! Q: Will the Common Room be accessible? Should we expect regular interruptions in its availability? There are no planned disruptions for the Kilachand Common Room. However, there may be some exterior noise due to masonry work that could impact quiet experiences. Q: Will the Kilachand Faculty-in-Residence remain in the dorm throughout construction? The Kilachand Faculty-in-Residence will continue to live at Kilachand Hall and support our vibrant community during the 2022-2023 academic year. Q: Should students expect they will be sharing spaces and elevators with the construction team? During the month of April 2022, scaffolding will be installed on the exterior of the building to prepare for the start of the project and the construction team will have a temporary office in the Kilachand Hall basement. There will be a limited number of contractors who may use the existing elevators to access the basement during the final months of the semester, but traveling only between the first floor to the basement. When students return in fall 2022, they will notice an exterior lift on the building and ALL contractors will use the exterior lift instead of the interior elevators. When the new elevators are installed, usage of one elevator will be coordinated by an elevator operator to ensure limited space sharing between students and the construction team. Renovation FAQ
Petition to Change the name of Myles Standish Hall Long celebrated by many as a New England folk hero, Myles Standish is remembered by this lands’ first peoples for the extreme acts of violence he committed against their ancestors. His leading role at the Massacre of Wessagusset resulted in the murder, execution, and dismemberment of several members of the Neponset Band of the Massachusett Tribe. One of his victims, a prominent warrior named Wituwamat, was beheaded after the massacre, and Standish had this gruesome war trophy placed atop the meetinghouse of the fort at Plymouth Colony as a warning to all Indigenous peoples who saw it. After several months of discussion at tribal council meetings, the Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag–the descendants of the Neponset Band–has proposed a new name for Boston University’s Myles Standish Hall: Wituwamat Memorial Hall. The call to change the building’s name comes amidst a growing movement to redesign the Massachusetts state seal, which features Standish’s arm swinging a sword above the head of a Native American. Importantly, Standish has no direct connection to BU. The building, built in 1925, was named Myles Standish Hotel. BU inherited that name when they purchased the building in 1949. It’s time to honor the wishes of the Massachusett Tribe with a name that reflects BU’s mission for equality and inclusivity. “Why BU Should Rename Myles Standish Hall” Dr. Travis Franks shares the history of Myles Standish, the Pilgrim’s military leader, and why he is working with the Massachusett Tribe to change the name of Myles Standish Hall at Boston University. Read the full article here.Effort to rename 610 Beacon Street
WBUR: Cognoscenti
September 21, 2021