Adas and Their Children
Will Soon Have a New Place to Call Home
By Kristen Cole
This year the Ada Comstock Scholars Program celebrates more than just its 30th anniversary.
At the end of November, construction began on a new residence hall designed to accommodate
Ada Comstock students with children.
Located behind Talbot House on Prospect Street, the 10-unit building will feature
two-bedroom apartments and a central gathering space that overlooks a playground.
It was designed with suggestions from women enrolled in the program for nontraditional-aged
students.
“This is a very important step for the program,” says Erika Laquer, dean of the Ada Comstock
Program. “And for the women who uproot their lives to come here.”
More than half the Ada Comstock Scholars reside close enough to campus to commute,
and the rest move to the area and remain here year-round while completing their degrees,
says Laquer.
THOMAS DOUGLAS ARCHITECTS
Smith expects construction on the new 11,000-square-foot
building to be completed by early summer, allowing Ada Comstock Scholars and their
families time to settle in before the start of the academic year.
Designed by Tom Douglas of Northampton and built by Marois Construction of South
Hadley, the new housing will feature triple-pane windows and heavily insulated walls
for energy efficiency.
The project allows the former Ada Comstock residence at 36 Bedford Terrace to be
sold for development as housing to replace the city’s rental stock, part of
the college’s commitment to replace units being removed for the new building
for the sciences and engineering.
Since its inception 30 years ago, the Ada Comstock Scholars Program has grown from
33 students to an enrollment of more than 230 and has served as a model for similar
programs at institutions around the country.
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