SIOUX CITY | Morningside College's Dimmitt Hall opened in the 1920s, but a facelift gave the 88-year-old dorm new life.
The $14 million renovation was completed Aug. 14. The improvements added air conditioning, cleaned and tuck-pointed exterior brick and updated rooms and public spaces with new paint, furniture and flooring.
The not-so-new but vastly improved building contains living features that allow students to feel at home.
A kitchen and a workout center were added in the basement, and each floor is now equipped with laundry units.
One of the most popular updates to Dimmitt was the full kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and basic cooking utensils, said Sheri Hineman, assistant director of residence life at Morningside.
“It’s in use every day, multiple times,” she said. “It seems like every time I walk by, there’s somebody in there – especially later at night, even if they’re just making popcorn or something.”
People are also reading…
International students have used the kitchen to make more exotic cuisine. But a lot of times, students are making pizza or pasta, or they are baking cookies to share with their friends.
Photos: Dimmitt Hall at Morningside College
Recently renovated Dimmitt Hall on the Morningside College campus in Sioux City, Iowa,
Dimmitt Hall on the Morningside College campus, site of reported hauntings of a young woman.
“The kitchen is available at all hours,” Hineman said. “Students like to bake cookies because it feels homey.”
Additionally, the elevators have been a popular commodity for students.
Hineman said students lugging their belongings into or out of Dimmitt really appreciate the new elevator.
“Before students parked on Vine Avenue to unload a lot more frequently because if you were on second or third floor, that’s where you wanted to be,” Hineman said. “Now I don’t see that it matters. I think more students just park in the stadium lot and carry their stuff in through the elevator there rather than trying to park on the hill. Parking is still crowded on Vine Avenue, but I don’t think it’s as bad.”
New to Dimmitt is also the ever-popular air conditioning in the rooms.
Senior Spencer Eiseman said the air conditioning has provided much needed relief from the the summer months.
Eiseman, a head resident at Dimmitt, said the dorm, with its new amenities and renovated interior, is a popular place for students from all around to come and hang out with residents.
Hineman, too, said the revamped dorm is a popular request for students to live on campus.
“A number of students moved out of Dimmitt in December due to graduation, changing majors, moving off campus, studying abroad, and every room I had open has been filled,” she said. “So Dimmitt’s staying very full.”
Rick Wollman, vice president for communications at Morningside, said the renovations have been at least 10 years in the making. Enough contributions were received by fall 2014 to begin construction. Wollman said visual appeal and entertainment are important to the 400 students who live there, but comfort was greatly emphasized.
“While maybe not as exciting or visible as some of the other changes in Dimmitt, new electrical and mechanical systems in the building are making the biggest difference for students who live there,” he said. “Now, the building is completely air conditioned, and students have more control over heating and cooling in their rooms. The new electrical system can better handle the load from students’ computers, multiple TVs, video game systems, hair dryers and curling irons.”
Hineman said the "new" Dimmitt Hall is something in which Morningside's staff and students take great pride.
“It’s a showpiece," she said. "It’s a very beautiful hall to show our prospective students.”
