Starting in May, Cabra Hall will begin the transformation to an off-campus, apartment-like residence hall.

Director of Residential Life Craig Beebe said renovations on Cabra will begin after Commencement on May 12. The renovations will be complete by August 2013, he said.

“The building will be gutted. Everything will be new,” said Cissy Petty, vice president for Student Affairs and associate provost.

 Beebe said this includes a completely new building interior, the addition of kitchenettes to every suite and the re-configuration of suites to provide more single bedrooms, making Cabra less compact.

Cabra will be getting an updated laundry room, a workout facility and more Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant living spaces, Beebe said. The residential hall will have 165 rooms.

According to Petty, there will be single and double rooms in the new Cabra. The double rooms will have more space to make them more comfortable for residents.

For history junior and Cabra resident Matt Farnham, room expansion is his number-one hope for Cabra renovations. Another problem he said needs to be fixed is the cleanliness of the building. “Last year I had mold in my room. No one wants that,” he said.

Once Cabra is renovated, there will be vending machines with healthy options as well as upscale bathrooms and hopefully a barbecue pit, Petty said.

According to Petty, the goal of the renovation is to make the residential hall feel more like a spot where the upperclassman residents can feel the freedom of living in off-campus apartments while still living on campus. The architects, Petty said, are trying to make Cabra a place where juniors and seniors want to live.

“Campus housing is a critical piece of Loyola’s liberal arts mission and supports the long-term fiscal health of the university,” Beebe said.

Though Petty said there is no final quote for the cost of the renovations yet, Beebe expects the renovations to cost around $12 million.

Aaren Gordon can be reached at [email protected]