South Dakota State University is in the early stages of a renovation to Binnewies Hall that will upgrade the aging residence hall with modern amenities, improved accessibility and new safety systems before reopening in fall 2028.

The total cost of this project is estimated to be between 14 and 16 million dollars. According to a Board of Regents document, it will be funded by rent revenues used for maintenance and repair of the residence halls, as well as bonded funds from the state of South Dakota.

Binnewies Hall was originally constructed in 1969 and is home to about 480 undergraduate students each academic year. Since its original construction, it has seen few upgrades, with the last major updates being the 2011 restroom renovations and fire alarm repairs in 2021. This new project aims to completely modernize the interior with a focus on community areas and mechanical upgrades, according to Rebecca Peterson, director of Housing & Residential Life.

This renovation will update the five-story residence hall to be accessible with an elevator and new doors/hardware like the ones in Pierson Hall and Brown Hall. The project will also replace all windows and remove the in-window air conditioning units, replacing them with central air conditioning. The addition of a fire suppression (sprinkler) system is also included in the changes, along with updated lighting.

Some layout changes are also expected, focusing on community spaces and bathrooms. An architect hasn’t been selected for this project, but Peterson has several ideas of what layout changes could happen.

“We intend to touch the community spaces and try and … really elevate those and bring those into a new experience,” Peterson said. “In Waneta, for example, we redid the bathrooms there, they’re pod style … is that something we could do in Binnewies?”

Peterson also brought up the idea of having all the laundry in one central location. She said the students like the convenience of having laundry machines on every floor, but thinks having one designated laundry room that people are comfortable in could make up for not having laundry on all floors.

Although having a kitchen space on every level is unlikely, bringing the kitchen out of the basement is a goal.

“I don’t think it’s going to have a community kitchen in every space, but I think, can we get the atmosphere right, to have a really great kitchen that people want to be in?” Peterson asked.

Binnewies Hall will close May 2027 to start construction, and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2028. Plans for lost residence space compensation have not yet been fully established. Shauna Lowry, Binnewies residence hall director, said her top priority is taking care of residents.

“We never want anyone to feel like they’re stuck in one place, and so I feel like that is always going to be our priority, making sure that no one is stuck and we’re always going to take care of our people,” Lowry said.

Lowry hopes that once the renovation is complete, students will take more pride in living in Binnewies Hall.

“I’m expecting the first class to have bragging rights … how I lived in Binnewies after it was first remodeled,” she said.

Peterson’s vision for Binnewies Hall is for “students to be just as likely to choose Binnewies as Ben Reifel when they fill out their housing application.” Ben Reifel is one of the most popular first year residence buildings.

Freshman Austin Skrovig, who is a Binnewies Hall resident, has an optimistic outlook on the renovations.

“I don’t think there’s any way for it to not get better from the renovations,” Skrovig said.

After the renovations at Binnewies Hall, SDSU will look to Young Hall for the next residence hall renovations to come, Peterson said.