The Office of Residential Life (ResLife) vacated its former space on the first floor of the Dudley Coe Building on Thursday to move into its new location at 24 College Street.

The transition was finalized over the last academic year and comes ahead of the demolition of  Dudley Coe, scheduled for 2025. The 24 College space was most recently inhabited by the Sexuality, Women and Gender Center (SWAG), but the space has remained empty since SWAG moved into Ladd House in August.

“We have deep affinity for [Dudley Coe] but are excited to be in 24 [College],” Director of ResLife Whitney Hogan said. “It’ll feel much more like home.”

The move was slated to happen in August, but supply chain challenges and outsized demands on local contractors delayed the project until well into the fall.

Construction inside 24 College has been ongoing this semester to make the space suitable for ResLife’s needs. The full kitchen that once was inside the house has been removed and replaced with an office space where staff can brew coffee and heat up food. The basement and third floor of the building will remain sealed off, but the rest of the house will be in full use by ResLife.

Both Hogan and Director of Residential and Housing Operations Lisa Rendall lament the intense disruptions that accompany the mid-semester transition. Nonetheless, they welcome the change and are anticipating the practical and communal benefits of the new space.

“There’s space in 24 College that will be usable in lots of different ways for student ResLife staff, or college house [leaders], or peer educators,” Hogan said. “There’ll be the living room where there could be roommate mediations, [and] there’ll be the garage where there could be some more formal duty cluster meetings. I feel like the space will be a little bit more flexible and usable.”

Dudley Coe’s first floor will be temporarily occupied by Sills Hall faculty ahead of the building’s 2024 renovation.