From Legacy to Discovery

The Renewal of Mynders Hall

By Leanne Kleinmann

The building has been closed for more than a decade, so you’d be forgiven for not remembering exactly where Mynders Hall is located on the University of Memphis campus. Yet the sturdy three-story, red-brick building just west of the Administration Building couldn’t be more important, both historically and to the present and future of the University.

Opened in 1912, Mynders Hall was one of three original campus buildings and the first-ever residence hall at what was then the West Tennessee Normal College. By spring of 2027, though, Mynders will have been transformed into a flexible, first-class research facility that reflects the power of the prestigious R1 designation the University of Memphis achieved in 2021.

“Every great research university has facilities reflective of the importance of research,” said Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, executive vice president of Research and Innovation. “Both the location and renewal of Mynders Hall capture the essence of our R1 status. The research agenda of the University constantly shifts with changes in national priorities, technology advancement and the needs of the local community. Flexible space for research grantees that Mynders will provide will help in this on-going transition.”      

“The R1 designation is definitely driving this project,” said Tony Poteet, chief university planning officer. “The space in this facility will be totally used for computational research and graduate programs. Being able to improve, convert, reuse and revitalize the space for the great mission of our research University is very satisfying.”

Turns out that converting a century-old dorm into a flexible and modern research hub is both a challenge and an opportunity.

“The biggest challenge with a project like this is finding things you didn’t expect,” said Jonathan Smith, senior associate at LRK and the project architect for the Mynders Hall work. Walking through the building, he points out additions with floors that don’t quite line up (the building has been updated several times over its lifetime), holes where they’re no longer needed (as a dorm, each room had a bathroom), staircases that are no longer code compliant and dropped ceilings that hide beautiful woodwork, especially in the first-floor common room, a focal point of the renovation.

“The common room will be multifunctional,” said Smith, “Used for presentations and meetings.” It’ll have the latest technology, and the design will incorporate the historic fireplace and preserve as much of the wood molding as possible. Along with the first-floor corridor, the common room will become the main public space in the new Mynders Hall.

LRK is partnered with project construction manager and general contractor Montgomery Martin and Project Executive Peter Palazola; the teams make decisions together as the renovation progresses.

The goal: To preserve as much of the historic building as possible while updating the space for graduate research and collaboration.

That involves both changes visitors won’t be able to see — structural stiffening, updated mechanical systems, electrical power and plumbing — as well as those that will be obvious, including preserving the historic painted concrete floor tiles throughout the building and the beautiful natural light that streams in through 269 windows.

“Because Mynders was a dorm, it has lots of windows, so the interior of the building will have lots of daylight,” said Smith. “The windows will all be new, but the wood finishes on them will echo their historic character.”

Also, when Mynders reopens it will be air conditioned for the first time and have elevators, though the four existing staircases, including two original steel structures from 1912, will be updated and reused.

“The building itself is a sight to see,” said Jaemi Kurtzman (BFA ’19), who was an architecture student studying late in Jones Hall across the street from Mynders as an undergraduate. Now she is part of the LRK team that designed the interior spaces, finishes and furniture for the renovation. “Working on this project is a nice full-circle moment for me,” she said. “It didn’t take much to bring her back to what she was.”

The only permanent tenant for the new Mynders Hall so far is the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering Research (CAESER), a multidisciplinary research center that focuses on water resources, particularly groundwater, and has mapping, drones and transportation logistics groups as well.

“We’re pretty excited,” said Dr. Brian Waldron, a civil engineering professor who is the director of CAESER, as he looks forward to consolidating various CAESER researchers, now spread all over campus. “The building is beautiful, but I really like the fact that people will be able to walk to Mynders and see what all the graduate students we support are working on. In addition, student projects will integrate with each other, which strengthens research.”

The workstations in the renovated Mynders Hall echo what CAESER uses now, he said. When the University went to Nashville to pitch the Mynders project, “They took pictures of our space to show because of how we engage students in research,” said Waldron. “We write on desks, we write on walls — it’s really meant to be about sharing information.”

The Mynders renovation will cost $25 million, with $20 million coming from the State of Tennessee and the rest raised by the University of Memphis.

Everyone has their favorite story about the ongoing renovation of Mynders Hall, but Dr. Dhaliwal’s might be the most forward-looking.

“My favorite aspect of the renovation project is the constant feedback I am getting from faculty and research students who have waited a long time for renovations to start. Their excitement and positive energy signals to me that we can absolutely expect significant research growth at the UofM in the future.”