English Facilities

Kenyon’s ongoing effort to make the campus more accessible to everyone, including those with mobility issues, now focuses on two new buildings for the English Department.

Construction begins in October 2017 on a new office building and new classroom building that will create a concentrated footprint for the English program that includes Lentz House on the south side of Wiggin Street and Finn House, the home of the Kenyon Review, on the north side.

A Need for More AccessibLE English Facilities 

One of the College's most popular majors, the Department of English has 26 professors and graduates an average of 68 majors a year. Currently, Sunset Cottage houses 15 English faculty offices and two seminar rooms in 4,700 square feet. The seminar room in the basement can only be reached by walking down 16 steps, and Sunset’s narrow hallways limit access. Once complete, the two new buildings, together with Lentz House, will provide the department with fully accessible offices for each member of the department and seminar spaces. Sunset Cottage will be preserved for a future use that has not yet been determined.

the Buildings

A new building near Lentz House will have 15 offices on three levels to house all the faculty and staff now working in Sunset. This new building’s basement level will get natural light from the west because of the slope of the Hill.

The second new English building will stand near Bailey House and be built to mimic the early 20th century Sunset, before two wings were added when the brick building was a residence. This new teaching building will be about 3,000 square feet, with three offices for fellows and visiting faculty and two seminar rooms, including a recreation of the Sutcliffe seminar room currently in Sunset Cottage.

Timeline

October 2017

• Construction begins on a temporary access road to the library parking lot to facilitate construction of the English buildings.
• College Road between Lentz House and Bailey House is closed to all but construction traffic.

August 2018

• English buildings completed.

Construction Notices

Construction notices about the English buildings as well as other campus projects are available on this site.