CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington University will demolish its 61-year-old Dryden Hall this summer and replace it with a modern dormitory costing more than $50 million.
The new residence hall will accommodate up to 400 students and offer suite-style rooms with enhanced privacy features, addressing student demands for updated campus housing options.
“It’s been a long time in the making, and the university is really committing to the students of the future, which is really exciting,” said Melanie Potts, director of housing and residence life at EWU.
The university developed the building plans using student feedback. Currently, no students live in Dryden Hall, which sits empty on campus.
“Students overwhelmingly said they love the experience of living on campus, but they needed that next step to continue living on campus,” Potts said.
The new dormitory will be built next to two existing residential halls to create a neighborhood-style environment. This design aims to encourage community engagement across multiple buildings.
Ana Silvia Duarte Quintero, a sophomore who works as a campus tour guide, said the additional housing option is necessary.
“A lot of students, when they hear about, like, Pearce and Anderson, Snyamncut and Streeter being the only options, it’s kind of like, oh, like we need another option,” Duarte Quintero said.
The university plans to eventually phase out another outdated residential hall currently housing students, but officials are focusing on completing the new dormitory first.
“Some of that will depend on our the size of our student population. So we’re constantly monitoring enrollment, and we want to make sure that we have plenty of housing available to our students,” Potts said.
Demolition begins this summer, but the new residence hall will not open until fall 2028.
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