RAD RESIDENCE HALL RENO. UW-Stout's South Hall residence hall was recently approved for renovations, which will include a new main entrance on the northeast side, facing the campus wall, in 2022-23. (Photo via Ramlow/Stein Inc.) 

After 55 years of housing students, UW-Stout’s South Hall has been allocated $25 million for renovations by the Wisconsin State Building Commission.  

Renovations to the dorm, which primarily houses first-year students, are scheduled to begin in the spring of 2022, with updates such as new exterior silver panels accentuating the residence hall’s original brick, and a new entrance facing the campus mall.

The updated residence hall will also become more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it more accessible to people with disabilities.

The plan includes:

• Renovated bathrooms and showers with increased privacy.
• Updated student rooms with new furnishings.
• Expanded lounge, meeting, and kitchen spaces.
• New heating, ventilation, electrical, and communications systems.
• New windows, doors, elevator, and roofing.

When South Hall reopens in the summer of 2023, it will have 358 beds waiting for students. The renovations will encompass 75,800 square feet plus the addition of 360 square feet to the entrance. 

Justin Utpadel, director of Facilities Management at UW-Stout, said that they are excited about moving forward with the renovations based on the current conditions of the building.  

“This project will provide our students with a fully renovated, updated student living facility that is accessible and inclusive,” Utpadel said. “We have worked hard in the planning and design of this building project to create spaces that foster relationship-building, integrate sustainability, and provide for an improved experience that supports student success.”

South Hall isn’t the first residence hall to undergo a facelift. North Hall – located three blocks north of South Hall – underwent renovations starting in 2018 and re-opened in 2019. In 2013-14, McCalmont Hall was the first of the residence halls located on south campus to get updates.

The university plans to renovate HKMC (Hansen, Keither, Milnes, Chinnock) Residence Hall, but no timetable is available. UW-Stout has also submitted a proposal awaiting UW-System approval to use state funding to renovate Heritage Hall, an academic building on campus.