Berry Hall was loved and sometimes hated by those who lived in its walls. Whether it was spending time with friends in the lounge or the dreaded sleepless nights without air conditioning, occupants loved Berry Hall in a unique way, sometimes simply for its generational history.
“I didn’t really like to sleep with a box fan,” former Berry Hall occupant Armando Alferez said. “It was really harsh with no AC.”
Alferez also said that he enjoyed his time there, because with so many freshmen located on his floor, there was always something going on and people to hang out with.
Subsequently, with Berry Hall being torn down, many students who have lived in its rooms are wondering what will become of the now vacant 60,700 square foot lot. Some wonder if the land will remain vacant as a greenspace; while others speculate that the school will construct a new dormitory in its place.
According to Vice President for Administration & Finance Angela Fredrickson and Director of Facility Services Kyle Nelsen, there are no major construction or changes for the lot currently planned in Wayne State’s most recent 10–year plan. The Berry Hall lot will remain a greenspace for the foreseeable future.
There are potential plans that have been thrown around for the Berry lot, including a small parking lot for events at the Willow Bowl or another new, more modern dormitory, similar to Stearns Hall. None of these ideas have been confirmed or actually planned out, however. What has been confirmed by Nelsen is that Berry Hall’s cornerstone was salvaged before demolition and is planned to be placed in the greenspace, along with some of Berry’s brick later this fall 2025 semester.