College Center at Crozier-Williams

The Opportunity

Perched at the top of a hill in the center of Connecticut College’s verdant campus, the College Center at Crozier-Williams (“Cro”) was an underutilized building that became the social center and symbolic heart of the sustainability-minded community, thanks to a strategic partial renovation of the space. Originally built in 1957 as an active space for students to socialize and engage in group activities, the Cro had fallen to the wayside following several renovations that de-emphasized its social power, leaving students to rely heavily on the library for social space.

Our Approach

The Cro’s re-design pulls inspiration from its identity as an arboretum. The renovation brought the arboretum inside, a unifying concept that employs biophilic and universal design strategies to activate the space, reinforce campus identity, and support student wellness. The renovation includes the lobby, upstairs dining area and attached terrace, and the main event space. The lobby redesign honors the Cro’s history as a beautiful midcentury modern space, with natural materials such as wood and stone, and several seating areas in which students can study and socialize. Walking up the stairs to the Cro’s Nest, students enjoy an easily flowing dining area, including a relocated pub, that encourages social activity, simultaneously functions as an event space, and opens onto a large terrace, which offers a lush seating area and allows for full visibility of the surrounding campus. Mindful landscaping and a partnership with the student garden further emphasizes Connecticut College’s identity and creates a sense of refuge, safety, and self.

Program

Retail dining, lobby, common spaces, meeting and event space, “Cro’s Nest” pub and terrace

Partners

Lera Consulting Structural Engineers, Structural
Vanderweil, MEP/FP/FA/AV/TEL/SEC
Consigli, Contractor
ColburnGuyette, Food Service Design

Photography

Jeffrey Totaro