Restored to Glory: Cudd Hall Receives National Award
Written by Amanda Mathis
Architects work on various projects, but it is a special moment when that project connects you to a fond memory like your former college dorm. This was the case for Converse alumna Cary Perkins ’96, Principal and Director of Design Engagement at McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, who helped breathe life back to where many of her classmates called home – Cudd Hall.
Located in the heart of Converse’s campus, perched on the hill before a large grassy field, this historic 100-year residence hall is a Converse icon, one of the institution’s oldest buildings. It was restored to its 20th-century glory while boasting 21st-century student standards through a $4.8 million transformation.
“Cudd Hall makes Converse a distinctive experience,” said Kristin Lacey, Converse’s Vice-President of Operations and Chief Financial Officer. “The building exhibits our commitment to investing back into our student body. Keeping a piece of Converse’s history intact was more than a standard campus improvement. It is an ongoing effort to make stronger connections between the residential hall and the hundreds of Converse students who passed through its threshold.”
Formerly home to the Gwyn School, a preparatory school for girls, Converse purchased the building in the early 1900s and transformed it into a residence hall. It was named Cudd Hall in memory of Allene Cudd Cantrell, Class of 1912, who was the daughter of Converse Trustee John Cudd. The historic character of the three-story building showcases the classic Southern porches that were once home to Converse’s annual senior class photo.
“I lived in Cudd during my junior year in the very room we staged for the ribbon-cutting ceremony,” said Perkins of her special connection to the project. Coming to Converse from Louisiana, she fell in love with Converse during her visit at Scholarship Weekend. “I completed the application on the plane ride home, applied, and then pursued a BFA in studio art.”
Cary Perkins ’96“It’s very special to reconnect with Converse and take care of buildings that were special to me.”
If Cudd’s walls could talk, they would tell stories of friendships forming that would last decades.
“Like most alums, I had lost touch with Converse University for years,” reflected Perkins. “It’s very special to reconnect with Converse and take care of buildings that were special to me – it’s a full circle moment.”
Serving hundreds of students as their home-away-from-home over the decades, Converse leadership decided to pause student housing for Cudd in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, Cudd was briefly reopened to help bring students back on campus. After internal discussion and a feasibility study in 2021, the renovation project started in 2022, and McMillan Pazdan Smith and a dedicated team from Harper Construction partnered for the project.
Converse University remained committed to its history while incorporating contemporary student amenities and prioritizing accessibility. Renovations included 46 residential rooms and two Community Advisor rooms, expansion of ADA-accessible rooms and entry access, redesigned flow to support community, accessibility, and safety, and an addition of an elevator – no easy task in a historic building.
The building not only made a statement locally, but it recently received national recognition at an award ceremony in Orlando, Florida, where Harper General Contractors earned the 2024 Southeast Best Project Award in the Small Projects category. Notably, Cudd Hall’s revitalization was completed on time and below budget, even with delays in the delivery of the electrical panel and the elevator. According to the Engineering News-Record Magazine, “the project team renovated the building’s wooden frame, replaced the elevator and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, repointed exterior masonry and constructed a new custom staircase, back terrace, and front porch.”
Cudd is a living-learning community for Converse’s Nisbet Honors students.
Like McMillan Pazdan Smith, this is not the first time that Harper General Contractors has partnered with Converse on capital projects. “Harper GC and Converse have had a long relationship since 2009,” said Hootie Solesbee, Vice President of Preconstruction Services at Harper Construction. “We have been honored to work with them on many transformational projects on their campus alongside McMillan Pazdan Smith. Historical renovation projects are often challenging and demand extra effort. Seeing the Cudd Hall project honored with this award is very gratifying. We look forward to working with Converse for many years to come.”
Reopened in fall 2023, Cudd is a living-learning community for Converse’s Nisbet Honors students, an invitation-only program that offers academically gifted students the opportunity to explore new avenues of thinking, conduct independent research, and discuss intellectually challenging topics in a community of like-minded individuals.
“The fact that they chose to renovate rather than replace Cudd Hall was a special decision,” reflected Perkins. “Renovations are not easy, and Converse chose to save and renovate Cudd. The support from alumni indicates how special the building was to them and we hope that the renovation honors their memories of Cudd .”