SXU Plans To Demolish Regina Hall

CHICAGO - Regina Hall, Saint Xavier University's oldest residence hall, will likely be demolished this summer after serving students at the Mount Greenwood neighborhood campus for more than 50 years. SXU Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Tony Campbell said in an e-mail to alumni that completing necessary renovations to save the building are not in the school's best interests and that it will be removed to "create additional green space along Lake Merion."

Last fall, Campbell said that it was determined that the hall was in need of major renovations and that it would not be used for campus housing during the 2019-2020 school year. But after a "careful study," the school found that Regina "would require significant and costly renovations to meet the needs of our students in a modern residence hall program."

Regina Hall, named after Mother Mary Regina Cunningham and at the center of the SXU campus, has been the school's largest residence hall since it opened in 1964.

Over the decades, it has been the campus home for first-year students as well as student events and programs.

"Many of the friendships that formed in Regina Hall have continued far after graduation," Campbell wrote in the e-mail.

The absence of Regina Hall next fall will bring the number of SXU residence halls from six to five.

Campbell said the school is "exploring ways to enhance community spaces in Pacelli, McCarthy and Morris halls and identify additional student spaces throughout the campus."