

Ciszek Hall is a residence hall for students enrolled in the Jesuit First Studies program in the Bronx, NY. The building is made up of two tenement buildings that were built in 1907 and combined in the early 90’s. The renovation increased capacity for the Jesuit program as they continue to grow, while creating enhanced connections between the two buildings for greater communal living.
Previously separated by a largely underused inner court, a new deck provides an “outdoor room” with new connections across the different public spaces on the ground floor.


The bedroom count was increased from 24 to 30, requiring compact layouts. All required storage and programming was consolidated along one wall in each bedroom to provide greater consistency across bedrooms.

To support the communal aspects of Ciszek Hall, public spaces are designed to create places for encounter. Corridors widen at various locations to encourage residents to bump into one another and connect.



At these widened corridors, new windows puncture the existing brick facades to also provide more natural light and greater visibility across the two buildings.

Shared spaces throughout the former tenement buildings were carved out of constrained existing conditions.


Client: USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus, DBI Projects
Location: Bronx, NY
Status: Completed
Dates: 2019 – 2021
Sq Footage: 26,400sf
Program: Renovation of 4-story residence hall for Jesuit First Studies Program
Design Team: Eric Bunge, Mimi Hoang | Jason Kim | Paul Mok, Laura Buck, Talene Montgomery, Emilie O’Neill
Collaborators: Contractor: DHI Construction Services Inc. | Project Management: DBI | Structural Engineer: Silman | MEP Engineer: OLA Consulting Engineers | Lighting Designer: Lumen Architecture, PLLC | Expediter: JM Zoning
Photography: Naho Kubota