Upon completion of the Convergent Media Center and the future renovations of Battelle Hall, Renner Hall will be razed to enhance the green space on the corner of College Avenue and Main Street.
The razing of Renner Hall, however, is not expected to be done for a couple of years, as its classrooms and office space will serve as a temporary host for professors and students while Battelle Hall undergoes renovations.
The renovations to Battelle Hall will not begin until the new Convergent Media Center is completed in the fall of 2016.
Richard Ashbrook, provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, expects Renner Hall’s space to be useful as the Battelle Hall renovations take place.
“The Renner Hall offices and classrooms will provide valuable swing space for accommodating faculty and classes during other building renovations. Renner Hall will serve as temporary quarters for those displaced by construction,” Ashbrook said.
The purpose of the Battelle Hall renovations is to modernize its laboratories, classrooms, and offices.
Ashbrook anticipates a rotation of moving offices into Renner Hall, as the Battelle Hall renovations will take place in phases.
“We plan on the major renovations to Battelle Hall to be done one wing at a time. Therefore, we will periodically be rotating certain offices to Renner Hall and back to Battelle Hall as each wing is renovated,” Ashbrook said.
There is currently no timeline for Renner Hall to be razed. However, Renner Hall will be razed once all major campus renovations are completed.
No plans exist to utilize the Renner Hall property. The property will instead be used as green space.
According to Ashbrook, “Capital University will preserve the green space that defines the corner of Main Street and College Avenue.”
Renner Hall has stood on campus for nearly 60 years, as the groundbreaking for the building began Oct. 22, 1955, Homecoming Day. It originally was built as a dormitory, and the building, equipment, and furnishings provided facilities for 103 men. The building’s namesake, Miss Ena Renner, bequeathed her East Broad Street farm to the university and in recognition. The then new residence hall was named in her honor.
In 1970, Capital University received a grant to renovate Renner Hall into a building for offices and classrooms. The Nursing Program, which was significantly growing at the time, utilized the renovated classrooms before moving to Battelle Hall.
Renner Hall currently serves as the classrooms and office locations for professors across various departments. The departments in Renner Hall include English, social work, psychology, sociology, criminology, history, political science, religion, and philosophy departments.
Many of the department offices will be moved to the Convergent Media Center once it is built.
The religion and philosophy offices are expected to return to Kerns Chapel, which is also currently undergoing renovations.
