1960s-era USD dorm set for modern makeover

This piece is sponsored by Lloyd Construction.

A University of South Dakota dormitory that dates back to 1968 is about to get a 21st-century upgrade.

Edward Olson Hall on the northwest corner of the Vermillion campus is being renovated for the first time in more than a decade.

“The appearance of dorms is much more important now,” said Brian Limoges, assistant vice president of facilities management at USD.

“It’s competitive among universities and important to students to have amenities like LED lighting and better HVAC in the dorms. In this case, 1968 plumbing is starting to show its age.”

Lloyd Construction was awarded the bid to complete the four-story renovation, which will take more than a year.

“We’re going to fully gut the building,” said Mike Dill, executive vice president of Lloyd Construction. “It will be getting a new roof, new mechanical, electrical, sprinkler systems and an adjusted floor plan.”

The renovated building, with capacity for 280 residents, will be designed to more appropriately meet the needs and desires of today’s college student.

The renovation will include adding closets in each room and changing the layout.

“When you come in, there used to be built-in cabinets on one wall with a shared desk in the middle, and now you’re going to come in and there will be a closet for each person, one to the left and right, a desk and bed for each person,” Limoges said.

“It’s a minor reconfiguration but with a better layout and flow, and each person will have a side.”

Currently, the building has two individual restrooms on each floor with two large restrooms in the center with four showers each.

“Now, we’re creating more restrooms by doing 15 individual bathrooms, which is also better from a cleaning perspective so we can take one bathroom offline instead of four or five at once,” Limoges said.

The project also includes creating lounges on each floor and a larger laundry area.

USD worked with Schemmer as the architect on the project and had 10 contractors bid to build it, “which is a lot,” Limoges said.

Lloyd Construction was the winning bidder and has done several projects at USD in recent years.

“They have had a good presence on campus and have done a great job,” Limoges said. “I know quite a few people at Lloyd, and they’ve assembled a good team. They have a good plan, and hopefully we won’t run into too many unknowns, although there’s always a little of that in construction.”

So far, the work is off to a solid start, Dill said.

“We were excited to have the chance to continue to help build for the future at USD,” he said.

“Building a four-story dormitory like this complements much of our existing portfolio, which includes many multifamily developments and hotels.”

Substantial completion for Edward Olson Hall is scheduled for Aug. 1, 2027, giving USD a couple of weeks to prepare for the first students to move in.

“Lloyd has been very flexible to work with through their last few projects with us at USD,” Limoges said.

“We have a lot going on, even during the summer between camps and conferences, and they work with us well. Communication is great, follow-up has been great on previous projects, and we’re familiar with our superintendent and project manager for Olson and how they work and have had a really good experience .”

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