Renovations 'ramp up' heading into fall
President ReBecca Koenig Roloff Credit: St. Catherine University
Mendel Hall, Our Lady of Victory Chapel, Georgia Hall among buildings receiving significant overhauls
By Natalie Nemes
Returning to campus this fall, students might have noticed several construction projects taking place across St. Kate’s property, mirroring the orange traffic cones lining the streets bordering the university. Among the most prominent renovations are those to Mendel Hall and the Our Lady of Victory Chapel. Construction also continues on Georgia Hall from this summer, after Alberta reopened in June.
The ramp leading to Mendel’s new accessible entrance
Undertakings on campus not focused on major buildings include replacement of the tennis courts, safety improvements to the playground south of St. Mary Hall and the construction of a stormwater basin on the southeast corner of campus. Construction efforts have also made immediately discernible repairs to several formerly crumbling inner roads, curbs, sidewalks and parking lots.
A newly paved sidewalk leading from the RauMor parking lot to the Library Lot
Mendel Hall
The university announced in March 2022 that it would receive $800,000 in federal funding for new scientific equipment and technology in Mendel. The email that announced this funding heralded it as a gift that “will help prepare more women for impactful scientific careers while meeting the growing demand for diverse female professionals in STEAM fields both locally and nationally.”
Other improvements students can look forward to in Mendel include updated spaces to facilitate collaboration and active learning as well as five new accessible, all-gender restrooms. Construction on new pathways outside Mendel took place over the summer, beginning work on an accessible front entrance and laying a heating system beneath the sidewalk that will melt snow and ice in the winter.
A chemistry class in Mendel in the 1940s Credit: St. Kate’s facilities
The lab areas in Mendel required fundamental restructuring according to modern sensibilities, allowing for groups of students to work on experiments together instead of separately. The individual stations in Mendel’s lab spaces, many of which have existed since the beginning of the 96-year-old building’s life, are no longer conducive to today’s teaching methods. “Now we don’t do science that way,” said Lisa Babbs, director of facilities, environmental safety & compliance, who is heavily involved in coordinating the campus-wide renovations. “We do science in teams and in groups, and these long things with individualized stations don’t work for us anymore.”
The renovations will also make room for new infrastructure that will support up-to-date specialized scientific equipment. Previously, a need as fundamental as sufficient electrical capacity was often not met for some equipment use, according to Babbs. New equipment will then enhance the building’s efficiency overall, as old appliances are replaced with new.
A rendered image of what a microbiology teaching lab in Mendel will look like Credit: St. Kate’s facilities
Suzan Adewale ‘25 (Biochemistry, Economics minor), a student who in her words is “basically married” to Mendel because of the sheer number of classes she has there, expressed excitement for the new collaborative spaces that the renovations will carve out. Having seen the renderings for the new rooms, she also looks forward to having more equipment and resources readily available, such as 3D printers, in areas like the Maker’s Space. Adewale highlighted the accessible entrance and gender-neutral bathrooms as other highly anticipated improvements.
A rendering of the Maker’s Space in Mendel, a new collaborative area Credit: St. Kate’s facilities
Although construction continues in Mendel while students attend classes there this semester, Babbs underscored the steps the university has taken to reduce negative impact on student learning. As much work was done in the summer as possible while few students were on campus, and during the school year classes will take place in the parts of the building not under construction.
“Normally, for a construction effort of this size, we would shut the building down and do it in 12 months, right? Nine to 12 months,” Babbs said. “But we are actually doing it in an 18- to 24-month project and spreading it out semester after semester.” This strategy allows the school to shut down portions of Mendel in phases, with some areas staying open for classes and others closing for construction at different times.
Adewale, who worked in Mendel over the summer for a Summer Scholars project, only observed a minimal impact on her work despite the heavier construction period. She noticed some construction on the third floor where she worked, but she simply shut doors to muffle noises. Adewale also had to use the back door to enter the building, since the front and side doors were closed, although she “didn’t mind … the extra walks.”
Although the semester is now underway and Mendel hosts a larger volume of students, disruptions due to construction have remained minimal. Adewale said that faculty members have been able to “work well with the limited spaces” that they have and added that “it’s not an inconvenience” for her.
As the renovation efforts concentrated on Mendel continue, students can look forward to a new and improved hub for scientific research and learning on the other side of drywall and yellow tape.
Our Lady of Victory Chapel
While Mendel transforms into a state-of-the-art center equipped with the latest technology for today’s rapidly evolving scientific landscape, on the opposite corner of campus lie concentrated efforts to revitalize antiquated beauty. First dedicated in 1924, the Our Lady of Victory Chapel is undergoing several preservation efforts to refresh its look after almost a century of wear and tear.
Over the summer, students on campus might have spotted scaffolding creeping up the side of the chapel’s iconic tower as masonry and roof repair efforts were underway. Repairs also included cleaning the chapel’s doorways, removing layers of dirt and dust to reveal the beautiful designs underneath. Construction crews additionally replaced the chapel’s unique arching windows with new installations.
Because of the chapel’s age, facilities sought nontraditional ways to carefully restore it to its former glory without damaging it. “We can’t just go in there with a power washer and clean the dirt off because these stones and tiles are almost 100 years old,” Babbs said. “Then it would disintegrate and potentially damage the chapel.” The method they ultimately settled on for cleaning the chapel’s exterior bricks was hand painting over them with a material that would remove the layers of grime.
A cleaned brick on the exterior of the chapel reveals its original color under layers of accumulated dirt Credit: St. Kate’s facilities
This fall, many of the chapel renovation efforts have moved indoors, although the interior walkway through the chapel leading from the Coeur de Catherine to Derham will remain open for students wishing to escape the impending cold on their treks across campus. Upcoming interior work on the chapel includes new wiring, safety improvements, tile cleaning and restoring and repairing light fixtures, according to Babbs.
Georgia and Alberta Halls
While not quite as glamorous as Mendel’s new technology or the chapel’s refresh, the renovations taking place at Georgia constitute essential facilities replacements. The dorm will receive new plumbing and flooring, rebuilt bathrooms, refinished bathtubs, new fixtures, new cabinets and new windows and window shades, Babbs said.
As Georgia closed in June for construction, Alberta reopened after undergoing similar repairs during the 2022-2023 academic year, leaving on-campus apartment housing outside of Morrison open to students.
These three buildings are all projected to reopen in fall/winter 2024 — Mendel in December, the chapel in time for its centennial celebration in October and Georgia before the next academic year starts in August. Visit the facilities website for more information about each of the construction projects happening on campus. For additional details about and pictures highlighting the Mendel and chapel efforts, check out the “Preserve Our Beloved Campus” webpage.
