Holland Hall was originally constructed in 1922 to house the Administration and the Sciences. In 1968 Holland was renovated to serve the needs of Economics, Political Science, History, Sociology – Anthropology, Philosophy, and Social work and Family Studies.
The St. Olaf Capital Renewal program aims to renew buildings on a forty year life-cycle, so Holland is somewhat behind its ideal schedule. The Strategic Plan placed emphasis on the Residence Halls, with a specific goal to get the first year residences completed as quickly as practical, and that effort pushed Holland back a bit more.
A project to re-finance some of the college’s debt has offered an opportunity to take on a bit more debt, while not increasing the cost of debt service. The refinance plan makes it possible for a Holland project to move forward several years, and planning is getting underway.
The Framework
The 1996 Framework Plan has guided physical development for the college since, with updates in 2000 and 2003, as big elements were completed. It is time to do a new Framework Plan for the coming two decades. Building, people, and programs of Holland were to have been the first element taken on. Planning and programming will be started right away, with design and construction to follow. May 31, 2017 is the goal completion date.