Salem College will dedicate McHugh Sisters Flats, the first new student housing construction on campus in fifty years, on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 3:00 pm.

“Salem College has experienced a period of record student enrollments,” says D. E. Lorraine Sterritt, President of Salem Academy and College. “This necessitated the construction of a new residence, and I am pleased that we were able to build this beautiful building in a location that will connect our historic campus with downtown Winston-Salem.” 

The 32,000-square-foot, apartment-style building provides housing for eighty-nine students. Each flat has a full kitchen and living area, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. A great room, porches, and patios offer common areas that will foster collaboration among the residents. 

Frank L. Blum Construction Company, CJMW Architecture, and Stimmel Associates have made it possible to bring the project to completion ahead of schedule—in eight and one-half months.

Salem broke ground on December 5, 2014, with a projected completion date of mid-October 2015. However, recognizing that the building was needed by the beginning of the fall 2015 semester, Frank L. Blum Construction, its subcontractors, and CJMW architects worked diligently to finish the project in August.

“The field team and the subcontractors were willing to do whatever it took to meet the deadline, including working weekends, early mornings, and evenings to accelerate the work whenever possible,” says Mark Dunnagan, vice president of project development for Blum. “Even a snowy February did not stop us from framing the building. We shoveled the snow so that we could keep the building process going.” 

Key design features link the McHugh Sisters Flats to Salem’s rich architectural history. “The building was designed to reflect many elements found in Salem’s rich Moravian architecture. We repurposed and reinterpreted old materials in new and modern ways,” says Salem Academy and College Director of Administration Anna Gallimore.

The design of the gate that joins Main Hall to South Hall, a gift to Salem from the class of 1906, inspired the decorative ironwork pattern on the McHugh Sisters Flats Juliet balconies. A mansard roof echoes that of the neighboring Fogle Flats, which were constructed in 1896.

Throughout the building, old materials have been reused or reinterpreted and provide a connection to the past through a fresh lens. Repurposed architectural elements from the Starbuck House, constructed on the site in 1914 and removed to make room for McHugh, connect the Flats to the history of its site. Four fireplace surrounds and mantels salvaged from the Starbuck House now grace the lobby, the great room, and the hallways of the new building. Smaller elements, including doorknobs and mailboxes, have become decorative art pieces in the residence, and a five-panel door has been converted to a conference table.

Construction of McHugh Sisters Flats is a $6 million initiative of Salem Academy and College’s Women of Purpose campaign, which has raised more than $33 million of its $60 million goal.

The public is invited to attend the dedication for the McHugh Sisters Flats, which will take place on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at 3:00 pm at the corner of Church and Cemetery Streets. Students will move in immediately after the celebration.