With the official closure of Mabee Hall, the renovated Sikes Hall will take on the title of Mabee Hall.
The new Mabee Hall will be open to house freshman women and men students in August 2024.
This hall is the third and final installment of the Freshman Village project. Initiated in 2020, a series of residence hall renovations occurred on the south side of campus on East North 16th Street. Beginning with the reconstruction of McDonald Hall, now Bullock Hall, the Sikes Residence Hall is the last remodeling on the agenda. With the generous help of the Mabee Foundation, come the fall semester of 2024, the refurbished residence hall will debut as the new Mabee Hall.
There will be several updates to the Sikes building, which was built in 1977. Kevin Campbell, senior vice president for operations, revealed that there will be a complete renovation of the interior with new flooring, lights, a paint job, and an elevator to make the three-story building wheelchair accessible. Another major addition is the creation of new common spaces, which Campbell acknowledged has not been a strong suit for Sikes in the past.
“Sikes has lacked community space that the new residence halls have,” Campbell said. “That new lobby will create a common space for students to hang out.”
Renzhi (Bob) Jin, junior psychology major from Allen, is one student grateful for the common spaces provided by the original Mabee Hall. A former resident, Jin lived in the residence hall during his freshman year from 2021 to 2022.
“I lived on the first floor on the North side,” Jin said. “The people were kind, and I really liked the first floor for studying and making friends. I hope the remodeling will provide the same opportunities for the new residents.”
The Mabee Foundation celebrates 75 years of funding influential institutions such as children’s hospitals and theological seminaries. Their first gift to the university was the Mabee Hall in 1952, a residence hall for male freshmen. Its renovation and relocation is their latest donation, and they are thrilled to continue the Mabee legacy on campus. ACU also looks forward to continuing honoring the Sikes name in the new hall’s lobby.
