Trinity University Witt Center Renovation

A once-forgotten space becomes the campus living room.

On any college campus, there are bound to be underutilized spaces — passthroughs, lobbies and other high-traffic areas that are either inefficient, outdated or a combination of the two. At Trinity University, multiple spaces were identified for targeted interventions when LPA first partnered with the institution in 2017.

Completed in 1968 by renowned San Antonio architect O’Neil Ford, the Witt Reception Center was designed to be the center of student engagement. Sited directly in front of the largest first-year dormitory, it was conceived as a point of connection, improving collaboration and the overall Trinity experience, particularly for incoming students. Like many universities with an aging building stock, decades of piecemeal renovations had eventually relegated the Witt Center to a thoroughfare rather than a dynamic destination, leaving offices and gathering spaces inaccessible and diminishing the building’s original purpose.

Through active listening and goal setting, LPA’s team learned that the two-story, 7,000-square-foot facility should function as a decompression zone for students and a home for the Office of Student Life. This balance of student and administrator needs had to be achieved on a limited budget over a narrow construction timeline.

LPA’s integrated teams started by undoing decades of ill-suited renovations. The upper floor was reimagined as a “living room,” a large multipurpose space with seating, tables, televisions and tackable surfaces. Mechanized curtains bring in natural light, returning focus to the existing marble fireplace. Casework, lighting selections and furniture design create diverse, highly adaptable landing spots. A new reception desk with high-top chairs encourages students to sit and talk with administrators. Small changes with big impacts, such as new glass doors for offices, align with a university-wide effort to increase transparency. The lower level — once an unoccupied mechanical subfloor space — has become the resident adviser and staff headquarters, and includes a new conference room, a kitchen and work areas.

Nearly 60 years after its construction, the Witt Reception Center has been renewed through careful modifications that balance preservation with contemporary uses. The project illustrates the importance of reinvesting in forgotten spaces and adapting existing structures to remain relevant for future generations.