by Mary Liz Flavin | news editor
Feb. 3, 2022
Construction is soon coming to a close as St. Martin Hall nears completion in the renovation process. For rising juniors, seniors and professional students looking for a unique living experience, look no further than St. Martin Hall.
One of the older dormitories on campus, St. Martin was built in 1961 and has served as primarily a freshmen residence in the past. Since May, the dormitory has been undergoing a large makeover in order to update the facilities as well as re-shape the current living style.
“Construction is going right on schedule, right now there is not a lot you can see since it is an internal renovation. Through the semester we will continue to work until the construction crews begin to move off site in May,” Tim Gigliotti, managing director of the Radnor Property Group, said, “we can furnish the site in June as we advance into the fall semester.”
Compared to other living spaces on campus, St. Martin had decided to go with a single style living as opposed to the normal double occupancy rooms that other dorms and buildings provide. Gigliotti helped to interface as well as oversee the design and construction of the building.
“If you look at national market trends, single occupancy is more in trend now-a-days. In order to keep the campus as modern as possible we decided to go with single occupancy,” Gigliotti said.
The standard room is a studio single with a shared Jack and Jill style bathroom (a bathroom that connects two rooms together). This includes an extra-long twin bed, desk, desk chair, drawers for storage space, kitchenette stove top with an induction cooktop, microwave, stainless steel fridge and additional space for shelving.
Other room styles include studio doubles with a private bathroom, studio singles with a private bathroom and two-bedrooms with a private bathroom.
Something that makes St. Martin Hall unlike any of the other living spaces on campus is the communal spot located on each floor. A full kitchen area, game room and a study spot alternate between floors. This design was included to improve community between both individual floors and the building as a whole, as well as provide spaces for students to unwind.
Katie Andaloro, a construction worker from Jendoco Construction Corporation, is one of the many workers who have been re-shaping St. Martin. From a building perspective, she understands the importance of community and what the common areas will mean to students.
“Friday night you might want to have game night or cooking might be your thing, it all depends on what aspect of student life you are looking at,” Andaloro said, “When you are a junior or upperclassmen you have the ability to be with other students all at the touch of a button.”
Additional amenities include laundry shared per floor, a fitness center that includes four treadmills, four ellipticals, two free weight racks, a rowing machine and an open section for yoga mats. The ground floor includes an ADA unit as well.
Melissa Yot, assistant director of leasing and marketing for Brottier and St. Martin Hall, said that students have everything they could need included in the St. Martin facility.
“You are right here, a few minutes walk to your class. You have everything you could ever want,” Yot said, “It is really exciting getting to see this project come to life from what it once was to what it could be.”
In addition, St. Martin has been redirected to house upper-classmen students due to the university’s request that both Brottier and St. Martin are designed to work as apartment style living, according to Gigliotti. Freshmen and sophomores will remain in the more traditional university facilities such as St. Ann Hall and Duquesne Towers.
For those interested in living at St. Martin for the Fall 2022 semester, applications are open until Feb. 11 and students will need to place a $300 deposit in addition to the application. The leasing period is from Aug. 18, 2022, to May 8, 2023. It is important to note that St. Martin is a nine-month lease compared to that of Brottier Hall which is an 11 month lease.
