Historic Jones Hall set for a $7.1 million renovation
Mississippi University for Women will begin a $7.1 million renovation to Jones residence hall, beginning in May upon approval by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. Renovation to the 47,000-square-foot historic facility will include major interior and exterior improvements.
Carla Lowery, interim vice president for operations and chief financial officer, said, “The renovation of Jones Hall is much needed. We were fortunate this past legislative session to receive enough funding for this endeavor. I think once we are done, it will be the residence hall most students will want to be in because it will feel like a brand-new building.”
With Jones Hall being a landmark building, some historical elements will be preserved. This project comes on the heels of a recently completed $1.6M project for the front campus residence halls that included two new chillers for Columbus Hall and Hastings Hall, the installation of tankless hot water heaters in Grossnickle and the connectivity of Grossnickle to the central chilled and heated water loop for air conditioning and heat.”
Over 200 spaces, as well as bathrooms and common spaces, will be remodeled. The rooms will feature new flooring, fixtures, hardware and more. The scope of work also will include interior reconfiguration, ADA improvements and major renovations of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and life safety systems.
Andrew Moneymaker, Office of Housing and Residence Life director, said, “From a housing standpoint, I am super excited for this renovation project. I believe that when Jones Hall re-opens, it will be the `go-to’ hall for all of our female residential students.”
Jones Hall is currently home to female upperclassmen and freshmen.
First constructed in 1964, Jones Hall has received minor improvements over the course of its life. Due to the building’s Mississippi Landmark status, coordination with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History will be required.
Jessica Harpole, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said, “After departmental restructuring, we have spent the last few years assessing and addressing the needs of our buildings and our residents. Major renovation has been a long-range goal, and as we have worked to secure funding, we have focused on interior projects and mechanical upgrades to improve the residential experience. Much of that has focused on our historic, North campus buildings so we are eager to give attention to South campus in our next phase of renovation.”
The renovated space is estimated to open for the spring 2026 term.
In addition to the Jones Hall renovation, The W is requesting approval in March from the IHL Board for a south campus chiller plant project that will support the four residence halls, Jones, Kincannon, Goen and Frazer. Goen and Frazer serve students of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS). Both of these projects are managed by the Bureau of Buildings and professionals were selected inJanuary. Other active campus repair and renovation projects include the Orr Chapel front porch, an eight-building roofing project, a four-building exterior renovation project for wood surfaces like doors and windows, a waste collection and stormwater detention project and some cost saving efficiency projects all in progress. Most of these projects were initiated in the last 12 months and total about $8M.
W President Nora Miller said, “We are updating our campus facilities master plan to include facilities used by MSMS. This process will be informed and guided by a project that includes Strategic Capital Planning, Benchmarking and Classroom Space Utilization.”
Lowery added, “There is a lot of good work going on around campus facilities that isn’t always seen by everyone. It feels good to be doing so many improvements at one time. We are already having discussions and prioritizing what projects we want to do next as funding allows.”