Dickinson State University is planning to renovate Pulver Hall to house the Theodore Roosevelt digital library and dormitories.
The preliminary plan is for the first and second floor to be used for the digital library, the third floor to be used for classroom spaces or offices, and the fourth, fifth and sixth floors to be housing for approximately 66 students, plus someone in a residential apartment.
The first floor of the digital library will be likely be for the library itself, accessible to the community, and the second floor will likely contain offices, a break room and kitchen, according to Laura Nelson, interim vice president for finance and administration.
"On the third floor with the classes, they want more flexible space or podcast room so it’s a soundproof room so they could do broadcasting or create advertising for the campus. They would use it for the TR digital library for things that they would need as well," Nelson said.
Currently, the university uses either the DSU Heritage Foundation or Consolidated for their broadcasting.
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The preliminary planning and cost estimate was completed in 2018 by Hulsing and Associates Architects, but the project has been slow to start due to factors out of the university's control.
The university will use $4 million appropriated by the Legislature for the remodel, which will likely include work to the structure such as mechanical and electrical upgrades, adding fire suppression, stairway improvements, etc. It will not include furniture, so the dorms will likely be completed with university funds, according to Nelson.
The work will likely be completed in phases, with the dorms being open hopefully by the fall of 2021.
The timeline partly depends on Badlands, though.
"Badlands is still in that facility, so we’ve been having monthly conversations with them to see the status of where they’re going, and that hasn’t been announced yet," Nelson said.
She said Badlands has found a place to relocate, but the location has not yet been released.
