German Haus, the program house currently located in a historic 1750s woodframe on High St., is slated to be relocated to a newer house on the corner of Lawn Avenue and Home Avenue next fall. The house has been slowly falling apart since it became German Haus 30 years ago; its uneven floors, loose floorboards, poor insulation, and deteriorating façade have convinced Physical Plant to vacate it.
“We had plans to complete significant major maintenance in German Haus this year,” wrote Associate Vice President for Facilities Joyce Topshe in an e-mail to The Argus. “However, the estimated cost of the repairs is too significant.”
The house is part of the Broad Street Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, a list of “districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture,” according to the National Register’s website.
“That is part of the reason why we have to move,” said German Haus Manager Heather Stanton ’10. “It is a protected house and is so expensive to fix and maintain at the level it needs to be.”
Once the program house has relocated, the woodframe will be left empty for an undetermined amount of time until it can be repaired or an alternative solution decided on by Physical Plant.
“Demolishing German Haus is not an option that we are even considering,” Topshe said.
The move to 68 Lawn Ave. has incited mixed feelings among residents.
“I think it’s good that we get a new house: a bigger, nice house,” said German Haus resident Erwin Dwi Saputra ’10. “The house itself is nice, but we probably won’t be able to host parties that we’ve been having so far, due to its location in the quiet area.”
There is also general agreement that the new building will attract more applicants; it is not only larger, but also can house two more residents.
“It has only one kitchen, instead of two, which will build a better house community,” Stanton added. “In previous years, it split the house where one half of the house would use one kitchen and the other half would use the other, and they would almost never interact because they were cooking in different areas.”
Although Stanton thinks some students will miss the historic house, the new more-centrally located house could be a potential draw.
“We might lose a few who are attracted to the age and the character of the house,” Stanton said. “[But] we will gain people who are more attracted to the giant, new, beautiful house that is right across from Exley.”