Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia will dedicate the new Rutherford Hall June 27 at 9:30 a.m. on the north side of Myers quadrangle in front of the new residence hall. UGA President Michael F. Adams will preside over the dedication ceremony.
“I am happy that the final dedication of my tenure as president is for a residence hall, because I believe that the additions and renovations we have undertaken in residence life have significantly improved the learning environment here,” Adams said. “What happens outside the classroom and the lab is as important as what happens inside them, and top quality student life facilities support the academic enterprise. Rutherford Hall will do just that for decades to come.”
Following the dedication reception, attendees will have the opportunity to tour common areas and a student room in Rutherford Hall, which is located near the intersection of Cedar Street and Sanford Drive.
This new Rutherford residence hall stands on the site of the previous hall of the same name, which was constructed in 1939. The facility has 261 beds-100 more beds than the previous hall-and an additional 80,000 square feet.
And steps have been taken to preserve the memory of the previous hall and the historic aesthetic of the Myers quadrangle.
The new Rutherford Hall will pay homage to its predecessor with monumental stairs leading from the Quad, signature columns, subtle archwork, Georgia brick details and traditional window design.
Rutherford Hall will also feature two fireplace mantels retrieved from the previous building. The mantels will serve as the focal point of parlors located at the entrance to the second floor. The mantels are decorated with mosaic tiles past residents added to the previous Rutherford Hall. Several four-paneled doors taken from student rooms will serve as a wall treatment at the entrance to the new multipurpose room.
Steve Marcotte, assistant director for building services at UGA, made a point to include original architectural elements and to acknowledge the historic quality of the original Rutherford Hall with his choices of interior finishes and furnishings.
“From an interiors perspective, simple classic lines were used combined with the use of neutral colors,” Marcotte said. “The challenge for the furnishings was to be mindful of the needs of the residents of the new millennium and still convey a sense of timeless grace.”
The new facility features double and single rooms with private bathrooms. It has multiple laundry and kitchen facilities, study rooms, a computer lab and a large, multipurpose room equipped to accommodate programs or events.
“The new residence will provide students with privacy and modern amenities they are accustomed to while staying true to the historic elements of Rutherford Hall,” said Gerard J. Kowalski, executive director of University Housing. “The individual room temperature control and bathroom privacy will enhance 21st century student comfort in a new hall and combine with the historic exterior look and cozy community space that reflects Rutherford Hall traditions. The size of the community will be ideal for students to study privately or in groups and meet friends.”
An important tradition from the previous Rutherford also will live on in the new building. Once again, Rutherford residents may participate in the Franklin Residential College, a student-governed residential program that offers members a chance to participate in cultural and academic programs alongside a faculty member in residence. The FRC is modeled after the residential colleges common in Ivy League institutions and is meant to create the feeling of a small college within a large university.
The first Rutherford Hall was constructed as a federal project with the Public Works Administration. It was named for Mildred Rutherford, an Athens writer and educator. However, the building was razed last summer after a cost-benefit analysis showed the deteriorating 73-year-old building would be too difficult and expensive to renovate.
