Mitchell College unveils newly renovated Montauk Apartments
New London — Mitchell College students, faculty and staff gathered Tuesday outside 715 Montauk Ave. to celebrate the renovation of the Montauk Apartments, the latest in an series of campus improvements expected to take place over the next several years.
“I’m terribly eager to open this house,” Janet Steinmayer, the college’s president, said, standing on the porch of the stately Victorian, one of several lining the street. "This house really fits into the community, as our college does."
Steinmayer tapped Kaseem Sams, a senior from Providence and one of the 20 students, all upperclassmen, who will be moving into the residence, to help her wield the scissors in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
The apartments, remodeled in a little more than two months, will serve as a “living community” for students with an interest in community service and leadership.
Such communities — groups of students with similar interests living together, be it on a particular floor or in a residence hall — represent a new thrust in Mitchell’s approach to housing.
Touring the Montauk Apartments after the ribbon-cutting, Stephie Hyppolite, a senior from Darien who lived in the building last semester and will return to it in a couple of weeks, was impressed with its transformation.
“My first reaction? The walk-in closet, the new fireplace ...,” she said. “The kitchen is amazing."
Hyppolite said students had to apply to be accepted into the Community Service and Leadership program and were free to choose the kind of community service they performed.
The Montauk Apartments' “renewal” increased the residence’s capacity from 17 to 20 students, and involved the restoration of the original lobby and the installation of a fire-suppression system, gas-fired boilers, forced hot air and air-conditioning, new light fixtures, hardware and Wi-Fi.
Four existing bathrooms were renovated and a fifth was added. Four kitchens were renovated and a laundry room was built. Exterior improvements included a new porch and a side exit.
Steinmayer, named Mitchell president in July 2014, said campus improvements began in the spring when first-year students helped clean up Mitchell Woods, the public recreation area between Montauk and Ocean avenues.
As part of that effort, volunteers from Dominion built a 120-foot boardwalk over a marshy area.
Recently, the college placed Adirondack chairs on the campus and repaired a gate on Pequot Avenue. Over time, it will pursue plans to upgrade campus entrances and other locations.
As for more substantial changes, Steinmayer said Mitchell officials are now meeting with Centerbrook Architects to plan “a vision of the future.”
“We’re going to be talking to faculty, staff, students and alumni, and then the community,” she said. “Our goal is to build on the foundation we have to be the quintessential New England waterfront campus.”
Twitter: @bjhallenbeck
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