The University of Cincinnati is Ohio’s second-largest public university, and its student population is constantly growing. After last year’s on-campus housing crisis, UC renovated and reopened Siddall Hall to address the shortage.
Siddall Hall was originally opened in 1964 as a women’s dormitory and named for Helen Walker Siddall, a Cincinnati native and graduate of Hughes High School who received a Bachelor of Science in education from UC in 1922.
The $85 million upgrade includes new mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, as well as interior and exterior structures, elevators and finishes. The hall will offer 500 beds on 12 floors, as well as a 5,000-square-foot fitness area, a shared laundry room, a shared kitchen and a recreation room.
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According to Carl Dieso, assistant vice president for housing, Siddall’s renovation is just one part of UC’s campus-wide development initiative.
“We are completing the last part of our master plan, which is these renovations,” said Dieso. “We have started construction on our next residential development down the street. Blocks one and two received initial funding from our board of trustees this year.”
These developments follow last year’s housing crisis. During the 2023-2024 academic year, UC had more requests for on-campus housing than beds, so the university partnered with private landlords near campus to provide housing for students who wanted to live on campus but were unable to get a room in a residence hall due to a lack of space.
Some of the students even lived in temporary accommodation or in nearby hotels. Dieso says the university has reviewed its accommodation procedures and made the necessary adjustments to ease the situation in the future.
“This building and the capacity that comes with it gets us back to where we needed to be,” Dieso said. “We were able to accommodate everyone by mid-July, which is really our goal and our desire.”
While the housing shortage has not yet been completely resolved, it has certainly been alleviated for students arriving on campus in just two weeks.
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“We have reduced the number of people who were in waiting status after our first round of allocations. Last year, there were 600. In mid-July, there were only 100,” said Dieso. “We continue to see that improvement and are moving things forward.”
Dieso said he is excited about the direction the university is taking and encourages students to provide feedback as their numbers continue to grow. The UC will hold a grand opening of the newly renovated Siddall Hall at 10 a.m. Friday.