Northwestern College to add women’s residence hall

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (KTIV) - Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa will break ground for a new residence hall during a noon ceremony Fri., April 21.

Members of the public are invited for a brief program at the future site of the dorm, which will be located northwest of the DeWitt Learning Commons.

The three-story building will house 157 women in suite-style rooms and is expected to be ready by Aug. 2024. The estimated cost for the 45,000-square-foot facility is $14M.

Some features planned for the residence hall include large gathering areas, a 24-hour mini-market, meeting spaces, a kitchenette and study nooks.

“Students will find that every public space is designed to create opportunities to connect with others on their wing, on their floor, and in the hall,” Julie Elliott, vice president for student life says. “In a time when Gen Z students in the U.S. report unprecedented levels of loneliness and social isolation, the friendships that develop in a space like this one are more important than ever.”

“Visitors to campus are nearly always impressed by how attractive our campus facilities are—and how many of them are new or newly remodeled,” says Tamara Fynaardt, vice president for enrollment and marketing. “We’re eager to offer women looking at Northwestern just one more reason to choose to be a Raider: the chance to live in a brand-new space.”

At the groundbreaking event, Tricia Vermeer, chair of the college’s board of trustees, will announce the name of the new residence hall.

BVH Architecture, Hoogendoorn Construction, Rainwood Development Partners are all listed as a part of the development.