By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
The Carona Family Commons, a new connecting space between Alexander and Memorial Residence Halls, had its grand opening last Friday, just shy of two weeks after honors students began moving into the dorms.
The addition of the Commons is part of $57.5 million of renovation to revitalize the Honors Residential College dorms, which were built in the 1930s and ’40s. It’s the largest and most recently completed part of the renovation project, which still has work to be done.
The Carona Family Commons, named after a $5 million gift from John and Helen Carona, brings the men’s and women’s sides of the HRC together for the first time ever.
The commons provides a multi-level shared space that can be accessed from both Memorial and Alexander Halls. The first level, which is on the second floor of the dorms, is furnished with a full kitchen, dining table and study areas. On the second level, a mezzanine holds game tables, study pods and more communal seating. The space beams with sunlight, which shines through a two-level wall of windows on the north side.
Dr. Jason Whitt, a senior lecturer in medical humanities and the faculty-in-residence of the HRC, said the physical connector between the two buildings is already forging a connection between students in Alexander and Memorial Halls as well.
“We have existed and functioned as a whole, but to have the physical embodiment of this unity and a place where students can be together… That was the key piece of the puzzle,” Whitt said.
Before the commons were completed, the HRC did not have an explicitly communal space to be shared among the male and female students of the HRC. Although Whitt said students often gathered on the Alexander lobby, it was not the same.
“[The Alexander lobby] was not always an entirely shared space,” Whitt said. “It was the guys’ side. The Carona Family Commons gives us a truly shared space where you can actually come together. In many ways, we were creating those friendships… almost in spite of the way we were designed. Now there’s an intentionality to the design that says, ‘Come and gather.’”
The grand opening has also been well-received by students. Boise, Idaho sophomore Joe Simeri said he noticed its impact right away.
“I think the goal for the HRC is to be a cohesive unit,” Simeri said. “So to have the women’s and men’s sides be separated, it definitely creates a kind of gap. The commons literally and figuratively bridges that gap, and it allows us to be one community.”
Whitt expressed his thanks to all those who made the job possible and acknowledged how special of a gift the commons will be for years to come.
“[We give] our deep gratitude for the Carona Family, for Dean Henry, for the vision the University had to make this a reality,” Whitt said. “We could have just remodeled and fixed rooms and hallways… We’ve been very grateful that there’s that commitment to this space.”
