The College is constructing new upperclassmen apartments on West Wheelock Street, which will add 285 beds to campus, according to senior vice president for capital planning and campus operations Josh Keniston. The project, Russo Hall, is named in honor of Thomas Russo ’77 and Gina Russo ’77, who donated $30 million — the largest gift for undergraduate housing in Dartmouth’s history — to erect the complex.
According to an email statement from the Russos, “the need for more on-campus housing,” as well as concerns “about student health and well-being” led them to invest in the project.
“Big transformative plans require large investments,” they wrote. “We feel that the West Wheelock project is a great way to address both of these needs.”
Russo Hall, which is set to open in 2026, is being built on several properties the College bought this June, Keniston said. According to the Student Affairs webpage, effort is part of College President Sian Leah Beilock’s $500 million commitment to add 1,000 beds to campus within the next nine years — a proposal first outlined in her inaugural address. Currently, the College faces a housing shortage and cannot meet the demand for housing.
Keniston said the apartment-style living is “geared” to meet undergraduate demand for more common spaces.
“Each apartment will have a full kitchen and … living room space,” Keniston said. “[The buildings are] going to be a little bit more geared toward what we’ve heard undergrads need.”
In addition to the construction of the apartments themselves, the area at large will be transformed, according to Keniston. West Wheelock Street will become more accessible to pedestrians through “a much wider sidewalk” as well as bike lanes, he explained.
“By the time these projects come online, West Wheelock [Street] is going to feel much more pedestrian and bike-friendly than it is today,” Keniston said.
The construction is made possible by a Town of Hanover zoning ordinance passed in 2020 that enabled high-density apartment-style housing to be built in the Main Wheelock District.
Several students said they are excited about Russo Hall because current residence halls are too outdated or too far from central campus. Clare Ip ’27 said her current living situation in Lord Hall — located on Tuck Mall — is not ideal because her dorm is “very old.”
“There’s one shower stall for a lot of people,” Ip said. “… I don’t know how many people are on one floor, but one is not enough,”
Ip said she hopes Russo Hall will provide “better housing conditions” for juniors and seniors, noting that many upperclassmen live off campus.
“[Hopefully], it’ll make room selection like the housing lottery not that stressful,” Ip said. “[It would be nice if] upperclassmen are actually able to stay on campus so you don’t have to travel two miles.”
Brandon Han ’27 also said the housing lottery experience was “stressful.” Han was placed on a waitlist before receiving College-owned housing this year and worried about being put in one of the Summit on Juniper apartments, which are a seven-minute drive and 15-minute bus ride from campus.
“While Summit is fine, … it’s so far away, and being put there is kind of intimidating,” Han said. “… I feel like it would be exciting to see new dorms, especially since I’ve now had two really, really old dorms.”
Justin Kim ’23, who currently lives in the North Park House senior apartments, said Russo Hall will be a “popular option” for upperclassmen interested in off-campus housing. He explained that it is currently difficult for upperclassmen to get housing close to campus. Only freshmen and sophomores are guaranteed housing, according to the Office of Residential Life website.
“All the senior apartments that we have right now are really far away at the edges of campus,” he said. “I feel like building this right here somewhat closer to campus is definitely great.”
Keniston said the College is emphasizing sustainability in the construction of Russo Hall. The apartments will qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certifications by the United States Green Building Council, an indicator of the construction’s sustainability.
“We’re targeting each of these buildings to [have] essentially the smallest energy footprint possible — picking building materials that are nontoxic, making sure that spaces have really high quality ventilation and thinking about things like natural light,” Keniston said.
Thomas and Gina Russo wrote that they are “thrilled” that Dartmouth is working toward “meeting and exceeding sustainability standards.”
“This is important to us as we all work toward a greener future,” they wrote. “We recall efforts as early as the 70s to align the growth of the College with effects on the surrounding environment.”
The Russo Hall design is part of a larger campus effort to decrease carbon emissions. For example, the College is installing a new geo-exchange system that will be more efficient than the old steam lines.
Keniston said constructing Russo Hall is the “start of a broader investment in housing.”
“I think it represents an important moment for the College as we think about investing in our residential experience … that supports the health and wellness of our community and is tied in with our overall goals around carbon reduction,” he said.
Thomas and Gina Russo hope that Russo Hall will “create many fond memories” for students, whether “cooking meals together, bonding over late night study sessions [or] enjoying events and celebrations in the public spaces.”
“We encourage all to make the most of the myriad opportunities that Dartmouth offers, and relish this special time together,” Thomas and Gina Russo wrote.
