Building on the success of the 5th Avenue Neighborhood Commons, the Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons is now under construction at Hamerschlag House. The Commons will be constructed on the plaza level and underneath the wings of the existing building. Hamerschlag House is also undergoing a renovation during the construction of the Commons. This renovation is intended to provide 5 new study rooms, a refresh of the existing study room and student lounge, and air conditioning to student rooms.

As the CMU community, particularly students, engage in very intensive study and research, the Commons are conceived of as places for rest, rejuvenation, and play. These Commons are open to all members of the University, including all staff, faculty, and students. As such, it's important to note that this Commons, like the 5th Avenue Commons, cannot be entered directly from Hamerschlag House. The Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons will include a 3 - season patio, an indoor - outdoor fireplace, an arts & crafts space, a wellness room for activities like yoga and dance, a multipurpose room that can seat up to 40 persons, a media room for screening movies, watching TV, or playing video games, a small music practice room, and several study spaces with a variety of privacy and seating options.

The modernist, angular architecture of Hamerschlag House is unique on our campus. The design team has proposed a structure made of concrete that very simply slides into the space on the plaza level and underneath the building wings. The project will leave exposed and celebrate much of the existing concrete beams and columns that support the residence hall. Our design team from Bohlin Cwynski Jackson has taken special effort to identify the right locations for views and glass on this daylight-challenged site.

The Margaret Morrison Street Neighborhood Commons was one of the 20 development projects put forth by the 2022 Institutional Master Plan, and is slated to be completed for occupancy in August 2024.