One of Western Kentucky University's oldest academic buildings is closing for renovations. Cherry Hall, which sits on top of "The Hill," will see its first major renovation since 1973.
The project will close the facility for two years while the interior of the building is updated with modern classrooms, faculty and staff offices, updated technology, and a reception area.
Cherry Hall houses classrooms and offices for the departments of English, History, and Political Science which are part of the Potter College of Arts and Letters. The building is named after Henry Hardin Cherry, the founder and first president of the University. The structure is a focal point for the university with a majority of students taking a course in the building. The project will preserve historic features of the exterior of the building that first opened for classes in 1937.
WKU President Timothy Caboni said Thursday that keeping historic elements of the building intact was important for the university.
"Our alumni have memories of walking up the marble stairs and carving their footsteps into the institution's history," Caboni said. "So we had to both preserve that and think about the possibility were for the building's future."
Funding for the project was allocated from the Kentucky General Assembly and in 2024 the WKU Board of Regents approved roughly $75 million for the construction. Gensler, a Chicago-based architecture firm, has been contracted to oversee the project. The firm has constructed several buildings on campus, including The Commons at Helm Library and the Gordon Ford College of Business.
While construction takes place classes will be moved to Grise Hall, which will be unoccupied after the new Gordon Ford College of Business opens in the fall.
Potter College of Arts & Letters Dean Terrance Brown said the faculty and staff are still warming up to the idea.
"With all projects there are mixed feelings," Brown said. "A lot of them have grown accustomed to the traditions and current structures of Cherry Hall while also there is some exciting opportunities to figure out what this space is going to look like for not only us, but for people in the next 60 years."
