When I saw it circa December 2011.
This is very old news to any living in Milwaukee and/or more into keeping up with Marquette events. I found out recently through the alumni magazine. All I had to say was “It’s about time!” McCormick Hall was so crappy and dated even when I lived there from 1986-7 (freshman year). The building was erected in the late Sixties and very little was updated in my opinion.
Despite the unpleasant accommodations: community bathrooms, bunk beds, two people squeezed into one “room” (cell would be more accurate) and the dumbest visitation policies…I managed to have a good time. It is there my friendship with Paul was formed, not so much with the others, they were more like Paul’s friends, especially on issues like abortion, St. Reagan and Classic Rock. I will defend the food. If it was terrible, it would be derived from how much the cafeteria had to make in a small window, plus some are just fussy, needing something to bitch about (and their refusal to cook for themselves).
During its final years, they made the building co-ed and designating O’Donnell to be the all-male dorm.
The new place is supposed to house about an equal amount. No idea if it will filled with doubles or very pricey singles.
I want to close with one funny story of damage to a room. I used to work in the university’s paint crew over the Summers. Whenever we started on a new floor, we’d start from room number one and proceed all the way to 34. First would be making sure that housekeeping left the furniture in the middle of the rooms, or we’d move it. Second, check for any offending trash, often food. Lastly, we’d wash the walls and the full-time guys then decided which rooms needed to be painted. One time we found a hilarious patch job by the former residents. They made a two-to-three feet wide hole in the wall and patched it up with notebook paper, tape, liquid paper and some paint. The bunk bed hid it well from casual viewings. Pretty clever and comical. Two freshmen who did a “there, I fixed it” years before the Web site.