One of the most prominent and historic buildings on the Denison University campus will receive a multi-million-dollar renovation and addition starting in January. The university has raised $25 million of its minimum $35 million goal for the project.
Doane Hall, the yellow-brick building that sits prominently at the top of President’s Drive and served for decades as administrative offices for the top officials at the university – president, provost, chief financial officer – will become the home for data studies, President Adam Weinberg said during a Big Red Weekend meeting with alumni.
The renovations will “expand data analytics into Doane Hall” Weinberg said on Saturday morning, Nov. 2, to about 50 alumni who gathered in Herrick Hall to hear Weinberg’s campus update.
Lori Kurtzman, associate vice president for University Communications and Marketing, said on Sunday, Nov. 10, that the building “will be the home for the Computer Science and Data Analytics departments and host courses in applied mathematics, digital humanities, financial economics, and data for political research.”
She said that Doane Hall’s “familiar exterior and ornate finishings will remain intact, while the interior will adapt to the needs of a leading modern technology program.”
“The renovation will also bring back an arrival point at the top of President’s Drive, based on the original 19th century campus design lost in the mid-1960s,” Kurtzman said. “With this restoration, the exterior of the building will incorporate an outdoor classroom space that leads into a gateway staircase and a reconstructed retaining wall based on the original design. This east end of the academic quad, overlooking Granville, will offer seating areas for students and brick paths to the iconic Swasey Chapel and East Quad.”
The project will include a significant renovation of the 21,250-square-foot, historic building and a 17,700-square-foot addition, she said.
Weinberg told alumni during Big Red Weekend that the university is doing well in many ways.
“We do the liberal arts better than anyone else in the country,” said Weinberg, who also talked about the strong financial health of the university and said that Denison is in better shape than many other liberal arts colleges in the country, which he attributed to an increased focus on student-faculty relationships that offer students a wide variety of experiences.
He said the university is on a mission to reduce the financial burden for students and their families, and he said his dream is for no student to have to worry about finances. He said he hopes to raise $100 million in donations to provide grants to lower barriers to attending Denison even further.
“We want to focus on not loading up students with debt so that they make poor decisions early on in their careers,” Weinberg told the alumni.
Some of that goal will be met with a $7 million donation by David Reese, a 1962 graduate, and his wife, Weezie Reese. The Reeses made the donation in part to their family’s scholarship fund, the David Everett Reese Family Foundation Scholarship.
“David’s generosity and vision underscore the deep connection between the Reese family and the college,” Weinberg said in a news release. “Their incredible support will allow us to provide generations of Denison students a life-shaping liberal arts education that launches them quickly and successfully into lives and careers.”
In recognition of this gift, the college will rename the newly renovated and expanded Beth Eden to Reese House in honor of David’s late father, Everett David Reese. Beth Eden, built in 1901 on what is now Chapel Walk to serve as a home for the university president, is now home to the president’s office, along with other administrative offices.
Everett Reese was a distinguished banking executive, philanthropist, and former trustee of Denison University. He and his wife, Gay Reese, were highly regarded in Licking County, and their legacy remains prominent both in the local community and on Denison’s campus, the university said in a release.
“I’m proud to honor my father’s legacy and support Denison in a way that makes a true impact on students,” David Reese said in the release. “Denison has always been an important part of our family, and I hope this gift helps future students thrive as they chart their own paths.”
The Reese family’s commitment to Denison runs deep, the release said. Since their first gift to the college nearly 50 years ago, David and Weezie Reese have consistently supported the college’s strategic priorities, including investments in the arts, campus facilities, athletics, financial aid, and more. The Reese name can be seen across campus in places such as the Reese Memorial Garden, Reese~Shackelford Common, and the Martha Grace Reese Theatre Lobby.
Discussing the Doane Hall project, Weinberg showed an architect’s rendering of the renovated and expanded building. The 17,700 square-foot addition will extend to the northeast at an angle from the existing building, and a grand exterior staircase to the Academic Quad that a century ago filled much of what is now a sloping lawn will be rebuilt to the north of the addition. The flow of traffic through President’s Drive also will be reviewed, after Weinberg voiced his concern about the street being too narrow.
“This will be a fully funded building thanks to the generosity of our alumni,” said Weinberg.
Doane Hall was named for William Howard Doane. The 21,250 square foot historic building was built in 1894 and was part of Doane Academy, a college preparatory school. The school closed in 1927, and the building became part of the Denison campus and home to the university administrative offices, which moved last year to the renovated Beth Eden. It hosted various university offices after the president’s home moved to Monomoy House on E. Broadway, and then across the street to its current location.
Some other offices that formerly were in Doane Hall moved to the recently renovated Whisler Hall on the east side of the campus. Whisler, the former medical center, was replaced two years ago by the new Hoaglin Wellness Center, and Whisler is now home to the campus mailroom, copy center, and human resources offices.
Donations for the Doane project came from alumni and other supporters of the university, Kurtzman said, adding that each donor designates their gift to the areas of their choosing within the university.
Alumni said they are amazed at the opportunities Denison offers, and some said they are jealous of the many resources now available to students that didn’t previously exist.
Dan Ewen, Class of 1996, a Los Angeles-based writer and film producer, said it is exciting to hear about these improvements. “I am floored in hindsight by the resources available to a 2,000-student college smaller than most high schools where I live,” said Ewen. “It’s just a remarkable campus, such an opportunity-laden place for a relatively tiny student body.”
Naomi Sato, Class of 1985, and John Urda, Class of ’88, are inspired by the continuing improvements to their alma mater.
“To come here now and see physically what has happened and to hear from President Weinberg the strides that have been made recently is just phenomenal,” Urda said. They both commented on how excited they are to see the community become more diverse since they attended classes at Denison.
Sato was an exchange student for a year at Denison, and at that time, the international student body was very small. Although she had a slightly different experience as an exchange student, she is excited that students can easily make friends with other international students.
“I really thought it was a great, great improvement under his presidency, and I think Denison students are really lucky and happy to be here,” said Sato.
This story originally included incorrect information about how donations to the university are distributed, and it has been updated to correctly describe that process.
Maddie Luebkert writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.