UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 30, Page 2
May 6, 1993
Elliot Hall renovation to be completed this summer 

     Elliot Hall, built around 1770 and one of Newark's oldest buildings,
currently is being renovated and enlarged with a new 3,500-square foot
addition that will complement the existing structure.
     The restoration and addition are in keeping with the University's
commitment to preserve historic buildings on campus, such as the Visitors
Center on South College Avenue and Belmont House on West Main Street,
while, at the same time, using them and making them functional, according
to David Hollowell, senior vice president.
     When the project is completed this summer, Elliot Hall will house the
offices of the dean of arts and science and college staff, including the
Advisement Center. "This will free space in Memorial Hall that will assist
in centralizing the English department, which is now housed in several
locations on campus," Hollowell said.
     The architect for the project is Homsey Inc., and the contractor is
Bancroft Construction Co., both of Wilmington. Nasrin Parvizi,
architectural designer in Facilities Planning and Construction, is project
coordinator for the $1.4 million project scheduled for completion this
summer.
     According to Parvizi, a stair and elevator tower will connect the
addition and Elliot Hall. At the rear of the old building will be a
courtyard surrounded by the old kitchen wing and the new addition.
Landscaping and brick walks will give the finishing touch to the exterior.
Inside, the original fireplaces will be restored, and there will be a
display case of historical memorabilia associated with the house.
     The first floor of the original building and the addition will house
the Advisement Center. The original second story will house the dean's
offices.
     Built of red brick in a Flemish bond pattern with three front dormers,
the original house had a kitchen wing with slave quarters above and a
detached ice house. An addition was built between 1850-1870, and the porch
was probably added during the Victorian period.
     The first owner of Elliot Hall was Alexander McBeath, according to a
study written several years ago by student Judith Shapiro. At the time it
was built, only four other houses existed in Newark. In 1915, the house was
purchased by Delaware College with part of a grant from Pierre S. du Pont.
     The building has served in several capacities: as a post office, a
staff apartment house, public health building, a drug store, Red Cross
headquarters, an office for the Fels Foundation and, most recently, as
space for the University's Psychological Services Training Center.
     "Renovating and landscaping Elliot Hall will enhance an area of the
campus near Main Street, which houses many of the University's oldest
buildings, such as Alumni Hall, Recitation Hall and Old College. The
project also will help to provide better access to the Advisement Center
for students in a central campus location," Hollowell said.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure