After standing tall for decades, Oak Hall is facing the axe. This root-shaking announcement was made in early February, with many current NJIT students wondering where they’ll live next.
Oak Hall is one of NJIT’s oldest residence halls. It houses over 230 students each term and has been home to thousands of NJIT students over the years. However, as time passes, buildings weather, and it has come time for Oak Hall to turn over a new leaf.
The last renovation of Oak Hall was completed in late 2010, according to the NJIT Magazine’s Spring 2010 issue. The previous remodel made Oak Hall more energy efficient by reducing electricity and fossil fuel consumption. The current building uses solar water heating for showering, cooking, and laundry. It also has solar panels on the roof, which harness solar energy to power the building and its functions.
During the summer of 2025, Oak Hall will be demolished and given a much-needed upgrade. The building is currently occupied by upperclassmen and graduate students at NJIT, and as Residence Coordinator, Jayshreé Chestnut puts it, “[Oak Hall] has been up [for renovations] for a long time.”
From our conversation with Chestnut, we learned that Oak Hall will change its layout, now with apartments for two or four students totaling 453 beds. The timeless elegance of its apartment-style rooms and tall structure, staying true to its namesake, will remain for students to come. The construction will simply be a replacement of an old residence hall at NJIT, offering students an upgraded and more place to live.
Knowing the emphasis NJIT places on being environmentally friendly, we can safely assume that the new building will also include many of the same sustainable measures Oak Hall currently has. Furthermore, staying true to its deep roots, Oak Hall will not undergo a name change once it is rebuilt.
While Oak shares its apartment-style layout with Maple, it will be an NJIT-owned building, unlike Maple, which is owned by an outside company that contracts its building to NJIT. The cost of living in Oak will be determined after construction is completed.
In an email to students, NJIT announced that it plans to relocate students to the Talbott Apartments, located at 101 Bleeker Street. This arrangement was made in conjunction with Rutgers-Newark. The location boasts suite-style, fully furnished rooms that accommodate four students each, along with a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Singles and doubles are also available for rent.
Oak Hall is scheduled to reopen in Fall 2027. Until then, students will simply have to deal with one less tree-themed residence hall.
Residence Life urges students to reach out with any questions the student body may have about Oak’s demolition and new housing opportunities on campus.
