Students react to the renovated Anderson Hall
Students react to the renovated Anderson Hall
by Evelyn Linkous
After nearly a year and a half of construction, Anderson Hall has reopened to students and faculty. It seems the newly renovated building has it all. No more creaky stairs that announce your tardiness to the entire building. No more sinking floorboards. No more climbing stairs to the third floor if you are feeling lazy.
Anderson is now equipped with an elevator, new furnishings, beautiful wood floors, central heating and air and state-of-the-art technology.
Despite major improvements, mementos of Anderson past still remain. The original tower bell is displayed in front of the building – they say rubbing it can bring good luck. A portion of the original exposed brick wall remains uncovered by the front entrance. A display case made of reclaimed wood holds artifacts from Isaac Anderson. And those fond of the “Hogwarts” nickname will find that the confusing layout still lingers.
Now that students have finally seen the end result, there has been an outpouring of positive feedback for the building.
“I like that they left the piece of exposed brick in the wall, and I think that people who return to visit Anderson Hall will like it as well,” said Maryville College senior Taylor King. “The elevator is also a plus.”
While MC juniors and seniors are returning to a building unlike the one they knew before, other students are seeing the inside of Anderson for the first time.
“I’m really excited about having another building on campus to have classes in,” said Ryan Indelicato, sophomore. “The building has a lot of history on campus, and it was really neat to finally have the chance to walk through and see it.”
There seems to be a consensus that the renovation was necessary; however, students who were familiar with Anderson before its makeover long for some of its previous character.
“The inside is great, but compared to the old Anderson, it is very modern,” said junior Matt Jenkins. “I just sort of wish that the interior better reflected the exterior. I would have liked to have seen more exposed brick.”
Though ‘character’ is often a word used to downplay shortcomings, there is no doubt that Anderson has always had a certain charm. Somehow, the old creaky floors and confusing staircases made us love the building even more.
The renovated Anderson is beautiful, and while it may lack some of the building’s old character traits, it can be assumed that it will only get better with age. There is something amazing about a building that has been standing for 145 years, and the recent renovations will allow Anderson to continue its legacy.
Students can expect that one day the stairs will creak again and the now shiny wood floors will become worn with age. But for now, we can enjoy the perks of having class in a vastly improved building, and most importantly, we can ride the elevator to the third floor as many times as we want!
Great article. Well written. Thanks!