Brody Complex renovation essential despite high cost

With its youngest dormitory building turning 52 years old this year, the Brody Complex could use a 21st century update.

The MSU Board of Trustees agreed at its Oct. 24 meeting to begin planning a $120-million project to renovate Brody’s central student building as well as its six dormitory buildings.

Vennie Gore, assistant vice president for Housing and Food at MSU, said the plan to renovate Brody – known as the Brody Master Plan – has been in the process for more than a year and is part of a campus-wide effort to update on-campus living facilities.

“In September, we presented to the trustees our strategic direction (for MSU’s dorms),” Gore said. “It’s what we needed to do to continue to maintain our housing stock for the next 20 years. We’re at a point where we need to do work to maintain them. Brody is the next one up that we need to spend time and effort into.”

With the approval of the board, Gore said planning will begin to coordinate mechanical, electrical and ventilation upgrades throughout the complex. Student and study lounges also will be updated as part of the plan. The planning phase is expected to take between a year and 18 months.

Currently, plans to renovate Emmons Hall are under way.

“We’ll sort of roll the plan we have for Emmons into the rest of the halls,” Gore said.

Once the planning is complete, construction plans for each building will then be presented to the board one at a time.

“From there, we get authorization to proceed, which allows us to initiate a contract and hire a contractor to do the work,” he said.

Brody Complex manager Tim Knight said the master plan is effective because the planning and construction will occur in phases.

“That kind of planning, in my own personal opinion, is a great way to stay on course,” he said.

Through the past 50 years, the Brody Complex has housed almost 25 percent of incoming freshmen. Because of that, MSU Trustee Don Nugent said the renovation is essential to the university, even if it is costly.

“It’s going to be very expensive because there are all the different dormitory buildings in that group,” he said. “The Brody group is about a 50-year-old facility. Those dorms need renovations.”