Renovations of the suite bathrooms in Arthur Hall were completed over the summer, marking the end of a 10-year project to upgrade bathrooms in each residence hall.

The new bathrooms, painted in peach tones, feature larger toilet stalls and more private showers, with two curtains to provide a changing area and shower walls that cover the concrete bathroom walls.

In addition, motion-sensor lights turn off automatically when no one has used the bathroom for a period of time, improving energy conservation.

Before the renovations, the concrete-and-tile-floored bathrooms were less than attractive. Privacy was hard to sustain in showers without changing areas or doors (just curtains), separated from each other by a stall wall ending at least a foot above the ground.

In addition, one toilet on the first floor lacked a stall door—just a curtain.

Senior Haven Pierce has lived in Arthur Hall since her freshman year, and knew the bathrooms well. “They were very dingy,” she said. “They were clean, but they gave off that feeling of [being] very unclean just by the way they were set up. There was a total lack of privacy, which was a little unnerving sometimes especially when you just want to take a shower.”

Privacy wasn’t the only issue with the bathrooms in Arthur. Some of the toilets required multiple tries to flush, and the showers were notorious for their inconsistency—switching from freezing cold to unbearably hot or losing water pressure with apparent randomness. “You were very lucky if you got a day where all of that was perfect for you,” said Pierce.

According to Dean of Administration Sharron Scott, Arthur Hall was the last residence hall to be renovated because it had the most bathrooms—each suite had one, featuring two showers, two toilets and two sinks.

There are 14 suites in Arthur, in addition to some single rooms with their own private bathrooms. Senators, Governors, and Martinetti each typically have one large bathroom per floor.

“It was a two-year process,” Scott said. “We did the third and fourth floor last year. This year, we finished the first and second floor.”

The renovations for Arthur Hall alone cost about $750,000. The money for the project came from a reserve fund of $250,000 set aside each year for dining and dorm projects. Since the dining/dorm fund only raises about $250,000 each year, the renovations in Arthur had to be split between two summers along with taking a year-long break to set aside funds following the completion of Martinetti Hall’s renovations.

Student reception of the new bathrooms has been almost completely positive, with the small exception of annoyance over loudly banging stall doors. Pierce appreciated the new atmosphere the renovations provided. “They’re just so pretty, and they definitely feel cleaner,” she said. “They have a more homey feel to them than the old ones did…I actually don’t think I’ve heard one bad thing about them yet, except for the doors slamming.”

If a slamming stall door is their only problem, then the new bathrooms have definitely been a hit.