New England Center to be renamed Adams Tower West, will house students in fall

Starting this fall, one of the two towers that comprise the New England Center Hotel and Conference Center will become upperclassmen housing. Approximately 177 students will be housed in 59 triple suites in the newer of the two towers, which will be known as “Adams Tower West.” The university announced last summer that the center would be closing June 30, 2010 for financial reasons.

The decision to use the New England Center for student housing is linked to the November decision to move admissions into Smith Hall, which will displace about 100 students. 

            “With the decision to take Smith Hall out of use as a residence hall, it makes sense to take advantage of the New England Center as much as possible as a student residence hall now that it will be available,” said Doug Bencks, University Architect and Director of Campus Planning.

The university announced plans last July to close the New England Center, which includes a hotel, conference center, and Acorn’s Restaurant for financial reasons. The university was contributing two million dollars annually to the center, which it could no longer afford to do in the financial downturn. May estimated in November that the center would have needed $17 to $20 million in improvements to bring the center up to industry standards and make it competitive. In November, the building was named to the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s “Seven to Save List.” Turning the Center into a dorm solved financial problems while preserving the New Hampshire landmark.

            The addition of student housing in Adams Tower West means that the Department of Housing will have approximately 75 beds more at the start of the upcoming fall semester than they did at the start of this academic year. It is a gain that is needed, according to Vice President of Business Affairs David May.

“This past fall, we were significantly crowded,” said May, noting that in addition to students living in dorm lounges, around 500 people were waitlisted for on-campus housing.

The available rooms in Adams Tower West will be “triple suites,” meaning that each of the 59 rooms in the tower will have a private bathroom with a bathtub and two sinks. There will be nine rooms each on the first five floors, and seven rooms each on the upper two floors of the tower. The building will have a full-time, live-in hall manager, along with a community assistant on each floor.

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3 comments

Anonymous

Tue Mar 9 2010 15:40

Using the Adams tower as a student residence makes perfect sense. It is a great location, close to Stoke and the other Area I residences. When students are provided quality facilities they take good care of them. More and better on campus housing has always been a big need for the school. This is a positve step for the student body and the community. UNH has made a wise decision.

Clark Kent

Mon Feb 8 2010 17:12

The New England Center closed down because it was a financial sieve, this is just the university finding a way to make money out of their existing assets. Although, it's convenient that the school shut down one dorm, and is opening a new, presumably more expensive option, at the same time. The school should make sure that any of the students displaced from Smith Hall do not have to pay increased housing fees next year as a result of changing halls.

BTK

Sun Feb 7 2010 19:28

Very sad to see The New England Center close down just to house a bunch of students that will likely tear the building apart... what a waste.

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