McKendree Renovates 1980s-Era Student Apartments
Story By Megan Melone
Photography By Megan Melone and McKendree University
In 2017, McKendree University had a problem. The school needed to provide more housing for its growing student population. An opportunity presented itself in a cluster of apartments a few blocks down from the University. McKendree entered into an agreement to maintain the property and rent-to-own this cluster of apartments. The problem was solved and McKendree West joined the McKendree family of housing options alongside the infamous and impenetrable traditional halls and the luxurious East and West residence halls. Since its induction into the McKendree union, the West apartments have seen no major renovations to their original construction in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Apartment Bathroom before the Renovation
After decades of college students learning how to cook and clean for themselves, the apartments were in need of a revamping. McKendree has honored West’s service to the students with a complete renovation of its oldest apartment building: 1201. Building 1201 was the first installment of the West apartments and it was constructed in 1989.
Vice President of Operations, Daryl Hancock was instrumental in the renovation, “There’s 10 buildings out there and of those 10 buildings, we own two of them and the other ones we are in a long-term lease. The oldest building is 1201. And that’s why we decided to renovate that building first.”
Apartment Bedroom before the renovation
Though the school is in a rent-to-own lease agreement, it maintains the property and can perform any needed repairs or renovations. Hancock added, “We have complete responsibility for those 10 buildings, so it’s an exclusive lease agreement. Our students are the only ones that use the facilities, including the clubhouse.” The renovation was extensive according to Hancock, essentially gutting the building and completely transforming the inside. “We decided to do a complete renovation of the building. We just left the shell in place and renovated everything else.” Planning for this project took about a year and the cost was over a half million dollars. Hancock plans to renovate all of the buildings with construction taking place over the summer, “We’d like to do one or two each summer. This first one was kind of our test job, and we have learned a lot of lessons from it. And I suspect that we’ll at least do 1203 next summer. Our plan over the next several years is to do at least one building a year until we get them all renovated.”
Renovated Living Room
I spoke with two students currently living in the renovated building, Grace Lenard and Lexi Hoffman, each was excited about the new renovation.
I really like the marble features in the kitchen and bathroom. The space is now very modern.
– Grace Lenard, McKendree West Building 1201 resident
My favorite part about the apartments is it always looks so clean. Even when it’s messy, it looks clean.
– Lexi Hoffman, McKendree West Building 1201 resident
Renovated Bathroom
The renovation of building 1201 was a success and a much needed update to the space. Vice President Hancock explained the new ease that this renovation brings and the benefit it provides to the students.
Renovated Bedroom
it [the renovation] makes it a lot easier to do upkeep and maintenance on the building. It’s a big victory for you, the students that are living in the buildings, but it’s also a victory for the university because you’ve got a much newer facility that’s easier to maintain and keep up.
– Daryl Hancock, Vice President of Operations
