Cresson Hall | Lincoln University

The renovation of historic Cresson Hall restored the building to its long tradition of serving as a residential space for students, offering more than 50 beds. Built in 1870, Cresson Hall also encompasses the 1856 two-story, five-bay President’s House of the Ashmun Institute (the predecessor to the university) making it one of the oldest and most valuable historic resources on campus.

The program served as a pilot for a new delivery system of Lean construction for the PA Department of General Services. Improvements to the building included new concrete slabs and equipment pads in the basement for MEP systems, ADA improvements including an elevator, an egress stair, two wood-framed exterior covered porch spaces, near-total repair of the exterior masonry (along with several new openings), floor framing repairs and reinforcement, new slate roofing, and the restoration of the bell tower atop the iconic Mansard roof.

Cresson required significant structural reinforcement to meet the demands of assembly usage on the first floor and resident usage on the floors above. To remedy widespread deterioration and insufficient structure, a new steel framing system was installed beneath the first and second floors. The installation of the steel framing was carefully sequenced to transfer the load away from three existing cast iron columns and detailed to have as much adjustability as possible to ensure it could be installed tight to the underside of the existing wood floors.

The renovations revitalize Cresson Hall to provide a modernized and safe living environment for Lincoln University’s students, and restores Cresson to its rightful place as one of the most striking, historically significant, and interesting buildings on campus.