After four years of closure and renovations, D Vickers Hall will be open tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 20, for the 2025-2026 school year. 

In August 2021, Hurricane Ida devastated D Vickers, and the building has been closed since. Groundbreaking for the $40 million renovation project began in November 2023.

Director of Facility Planning Kenneth Howe said the building will be nearly fully operational, and students will largely be able to enjoy D Vickers’ new renovations. 

The renovation’s keystone addition is the Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center, named after the SLU alumna and Good Morning America co-host who contributed a substantial amount to the renovation project. Students can hone their broadcast or creative skills in the media center, which touts several studios and control rooms.

According to Howe, the media center’s name will appear outside D Vickers and a mural celebrating Roberts’ achievements will be painted by the stairs.

Alongside the media center, the Vonnie Borden Theatre has been completely refurbished into a nearly 500-seat venue with a green room, male and female dressing rooms and a costume shop.

The newly renovated building features five computer labs, 27 classrooms and two lecture rooms seating 100 students each. On the outside, the building’s front parking lot is now an expanded walkway leading to the Student Union, providing more walking space for students. To accommodate these changes, the building was expanded by 33,000 square feet.

Senior communication major Avion Dotch said he’s impressed with the new renovations and he’s excited to access the new media center. 

“From what I’ve seen from going inside, this might be the building on campus. Some control rooms from major corporations don’t even compare to the ones in there,” Dotch said.

For most students, Wednesday will be the first time they set foot in D Vickers. Check Workday to see if you have a class in the building this semester.