Parmelee Hall, 1964
From CSU's Sense of Place: A Campus History of Colorado's Land-Grant University, by James E. Hansen, Gordon A. Hazard, and Linda M. Meyer. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University, 2018.
Architects – James M. Hunter and Associates (original), Michael L. Aller, David Lingle and Bradley Massey of Fort Collins, Ken Paul of CSU Facilities Management, Architecture Plus, P. C. of Fort Collins, 4240 Architecture, Inc. of Denver (2012 renovation and addition), KSQ Design of Denver (2018 Dining Room – Kitchen Renovation)
Builders - Lippert Brothers Construction Company of Denver (original), Rus-Den Construction Company, Inc. of Berthoud (2000 dish room renovation), Whiting – Turner Construction Company (2018 Dining Room – Kitchen Renovation)
701 West Laurel Street
Planning began in late 1959 for this new residence hall. In April 1960, the name honoring Amy Parmelee, who served as Dean of Women from 1934 until 1947, was approved by the State Board of Agriculture. January 1961 saw the groundbreaking for the building, and two of the four wings opened at the start of the 1962 fall quarter. Two hundred men were housed in the new, almost finished building. The cafeteria and other two wings that were to house women were scheduled to be ready for winter quarter in January 1963.
This was the first residence hall to feature pairs of rooms sharing a common shower and toilet. This became referred to as a “suite-style” hall. Each room had its own sink and vanity. Students of that era called this a “Luxury Dorm”. Constructed on the site of the old Veteran’s Village, it was formally dedicated on May 8, 1963. Dean Emeritus Lawrence W. Durrell spoke at the dedication ceremony.
Like the other residence halls, Parmelee Hall was designed to house four hundred students. A large, sunken lounge with fireplace greeted the residents and guests as they entered the east facing front doors. Also, like the other residence halls, the fireplace saw limited use in the early years and was eventually eliminated.
During the summer of 1992, the 122 showers in the hall were replaced and the interior was repainted. In 2000, the Corbett-Parmelee dish room was enlarged and modernized in a project designed by the local architectural firm of Michael L. Aller, David Lingle and Bradley Massey. The Rus-Den Construction Company, Incorporated of Berthoud, Colorado was the general contractor for the project.
A small gas metering and control building designed by CSU architect Ken Paul was built just northeast of Parmelee Hall in 2009. A remodeling of the Parmelee Dining Center and installation of a fire suppression system was designed by Architecture Plus, P. C. of Fort Collins. In May 2011, a year-long renovation and addition to the hall was started. The revitalization added another floor to each wing and modernized existing space – embodying the “up, not our” campus planning philosophy. An array of solar panels was added to the roof of the lobby portion of the building. The revitalization of Parmelee Hall was designed by 4240 Architecture, Inc. of Denver and it reopened for the 2012 fall, accomodating 500 residents.
The Corbett/Parmelee Dining Center and Corbett lobby completed major renovations in August 2018. The new dining center, The Foundry, combined Corbett and Parmelee Dining Centers into a single food-hall-inspired dining center with eight micro-restaurants. Using the architectural plans of KSQ Design of Denver, the Whiting-Turner Construction Company was the General Contractor for this project.
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