North Central College in Naperville is planning to construct a new 60,000-square-foot student commons at the southwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Brainard Street, including an updated dining hall and student activities center.
Prioritizing new dining hall
North Central recognized the need for the facility following its 2024 land use plan, which identified a new dining hall and activities center as a top priority for the college.
“Our current dining facility is nearly 100 years old. It doesn’t have the same footprint that we see at a lot of college and university dining facilities around the country, and frankly, to compete from an enrollment perspective, it’s important for the college to upgrade that facility in ways similar to how we have upgraded other facilities on our campus,” said Jim Godo, VP for communication and external affairs.
The current Kaufman Dining Hall sits at the northwest corner of Chicago and Brainard. The new hall will be built at the same intersection across the street.
“Importantly, we have about 840 of our resident students living south of Chicago Avenue. So it makes an awful lot of sense for the dining facility to be on that side of Chicago Avenue,” Godo said.
North Central has begun fundraising for the dining hall, which is expected to be completed by November 2028. Construction of the attached activities center will follow in phase two of the project once funds are raised.
“The majority of the project is privately funded. It’s part of why we’re building this project in two phases. We have an immediate need for a dining facility, and so phase one is in its entirety the dining facility,” Godo said.
Three campus houses to be demolished
Construction will begin this fall with the demolition of three houses that currently stand at the southwest corner: Rall House at 329 S. Brainard St.; what’s affectionately known as the Blue House at 224 E. Chicago Ave.; and Oliver House at 232 E. Chicago Ave., which is home to the college radio station WONC-FM 89.1.
“The campus radio station is going to move to the lower level of the Schneller Hall. We’re also very excited about that move, because it will integrate our media programs together in one space between radio and our other student media groups,” Godo said.
Rall House, named after North Central’s fifth and longest-serving president, Edward Everett Rall, served as the residence for the college’s presidents from 1929 to 2013. It has since been used for offices.
In 2013, a new president’s house was purchased at 409 E. Chicago Ave., and the Rall House name will be moved there.
Though a 2007 architectural survey suggested Rall House could have landmark status, the recent land use plan decided the space would be better used for the student commons.
Student commons meets needs of students
Kaufman Dining Hall will stay in use until the new hall is complete. The college is still considering how the building will be repurposed.
“North Central, for a very long time, has focused on the needs of its students, and this is another example where we are trying to create the best experience possible for our students who are on campus today, and the students who will choose our campus over decades to come,” Godo said.
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