Dennis E. Rieger Scholarship Hall to be dedicated Sept. 24

Fraser Hall's old 'widowwalk' railing now stands near Rieger Hall.

The 11th scholarship hall constructed at KU, Dennis E. Rieger Hall, will be officially dedicated at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at 1323 Ohio St. An open house will follow the event.

Speakers at the dedication, which is open to the public, include Chancellor Robert Hemenway; Dale Seuferling, president of the KU Endowment Association; Michelle Tran, president of the scholarship hall; and Seattle residents Roger Rieger and his wife, Annette Rieger, both 1967 graduates of the University. Roger and Annette Rieger committed $3 million to KU Endowment to fund construction of the hall.

The hall houses 50 women in a mix of traditional rooms and suites. It honors the late Dennis Rieger, a 1972 and 1974 graduate of KU, and brother of Roger Rieger.

The design process for Dennis E. Rieger Hall included input from a University building committee and a community advisory committee comprised of representatives of the Lawrence Historic Resource Commission, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, Oread Neighborhood Association and the Campus Historic Preservation Board.

Lawrence-based Treanor Architects designed the structure, incorporating characteristics consistent with a Queen Anne design to complement other homes in the neighborhood.

KU is one of few universities nationwide to have a cooperative housing system on or near campus. Like all residence halls at KU, the scholarship halls receive no state support for operation. Scholarship hall residents pay about $1,400 less per year than students living in residence halls; in exchange, they agree to several hours of weekly household and cooking responsibilities.

Ken Stoner, right, gives a media tour of a typical room inside Reiger Hall.