Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
After two years of renovation and construction, Kelly Hall reopened for first-year students in September 2023 for the start of the 2023-24 academic year. They were greeted with two exciting features: a new common area with gathering space and study spaces available to all residential students on campus and redesigned two-story lounges that serve as the living room and kitchen connecting two residential floors. The project encompasses 86,000 square feet of renovated space and makes this hall one of the highlights of residential life on campus. Don Liberati, associate vice president of business services, said that Drexel wanted to do more than update mechanical systems. “We also really wanted to step back and think about this from the standpoint of, ‘How do we create a campus amenity with this building?’”
Kelly Hall has 11 floors (the ground floor and 10 residential floors) and provides traditional-style housing for 410 students. The neighborhoods are a unique feature that adds to the community spirit at Kelly Hall. The residential neighborhoods were created by organizing the hall into five two-floor neighborhoods, each with about 80 students. Each residential floor has a lounge with a stairway connecting to lounges on subsequent floors. These are bi-level-shaped lounges, and the top half includes kitchen space. In a campus news story, Zakiyah Ingram, associate director of residence life, remarked that students and staff really enjoy the neighborhoods. Students love how it allows them to connect with people, and resident assistants enjoy how it makes programming easier because they can partner with the RA on the adjoining floor. “It also has become a hub on the floors, where residents are cooking together, watching movies and just enjoying each other’s company,” says Ingram.
The collaborators on this project – Drexel Business Services, Real Estate and Facilities, Student Life, and American Campus Communities – took to heart the students’ request for more study spaces. A new common area, Kelly Commons, includes seminar-style rooms for group and individual study space on the lower “plaza” level, and they are open to all residential students on campus. On the upper “ground” level is an open lounge that offers comfortable space for pool tables and virtual meetings. Overall, the new common area strengthens the campus community. Katie Zamulinsky, associate vice president and dean of student life, shared her excitement about it in a campus news story. “There is something special about being able to gather and make connections in person. Kelly Commons provides a dedicated space for residents – across our buildings – to connect and build deeper relationships through real-time conversations and collaboration on projects and events.”
While Kelly Hall is on course to continue accommodating students in the present and future, the Real Estate and Facilities department excavated a time capsule from a cornerstone during the renovation that provided a snapshot from the past. The Drexel University Archives department assisted with opening the capsule that had been placed in the cornerstone in 1969, and they found photographs, letters, a flag, and awards received by the building’s namesake, Ralph Kelly, dating back to 1948. There were also special medals and a certificate from France appointing him a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
— Camille Perlman
Spotlight is your chance to show off recent construction or renovation projects. Member institutions and architects are encouraged to share details about hall features, related programs, and how they connect to the overall housing mission as well as photographs of the completed building. Share your success stories.