Hamilton students and professors returned to campus after

winter break anticipating the opening of the renovated Root Hall

as a spot for peaceful studying and newly furnished classrooms.

Hamilton’s Facilities Management team spent roughly 18 months

planning and renovating Root Hall.

Root Hall is centrally located on campus, in between Chris-

tian A. Johnson Hall (CJ) and Carnegie Residence Hall. Originally built in 1897, Root Hall was designed by Carrère and Hastings, the architecture firm that is best known for its classical Beaux-Arts de-

sign of the New York Public Library. Thanks to funding from the Because Hamilton campaign, construction for Root Hall’s renova-

tion and modernization began in March 2022, led by Barret Rivet, Hamilton’s Director of Planning and Project Management. The new

Root Hall was designed by Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects +

Planners.

In addition to five classrooms and 20 office spaces for Wom-

en and Gender Studies, Classics, Religious Studies and Africana Studies, Root Hall offers many inviting study spots to meet and collaborate with peers and professors. Ultimately, Root Hall’s ren-

ovation focused on creating a functional, accessible and sustainable space.

A key objective of Root Hall’s refurbishment was efficien-

cy. The former building’s single staircase “was not compliant by today’s standards. Where you have more than 50 people occupying

the space, you need two means of egress, hence the need for the two stairs that we now have,” explains Rivet. Additionally, snow melt-

ing systems were added to both entrances of the building.

Root Hall now contains sustainability improvements to the insulation as well as highly modernized energy efficient windows, LED lighting and geothermal wells for air conditioning and heat. “We eliminated the gas service to the building. It’s now all electric, so the building contributes to our 2030 goals of reducing our carbon footprint here on campus,” Rivet states.

Rivet points out that, previously, “the classrooms and offices

were very irregular in their distribution and size.” Moreover, “there

was an effort to come up with more equitable offices and a better

use of the space.” The new building now includes areas that can be

used for multiple purposes. The second floor, for example, has a

movable glass wall that can open to create a wide space for larger events. When the movable glass is closed, the second floor func-

tions as a conference room. Likewise, Rivet notes that the fourth floor was “neatly enhanced” from a “rough” attic that was utilized as a library and collaborative study space for students and profes-

sors.

Before Root Hall’s renovation, the building presented many

accessibility issues such as an absence of elevators and easy-to-use entrances. Root Hall now features a sidewalk with rails up to the ves-

tibule of the building’s west side as well as an elevator and accessible restrooms on each floor.

One of the most evident changes to Root Hall is the building’s

usage of glass, allowing for more natural light. Rivet remarked that in

the past, classroom settings were thought to be “very much their own entity” and that its architectural elements were expected to focus sole-

ly on the inside classroom environment. Now, architects are motivated to make classroom spaces more welcoming and inviting by bringing

elements from the outside into the interior design of the building, such

as introducing skylights on the fourth floor. In keeping with that, Rivet

explains that the architects’ vision was to construct an “inviting space

that not only looks good from the outside looking in, but from the inside

looking out.”

Although the renovation completely gutted the inside of Root

Hall, the overall outside structure maintains its classical style, and some original interior furnishings of the building remain, including the book-

case and plants on the wall in the first floor lobby. Rivet is delighted that the project is finally finished and hopes that the Hamilton community will enjoy this beautiful space for years to come.