VJS restores MSOE Hermann Viets Tower into modern, versatile living space

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In June 2020, VJS Construction Services began a project to expand and renovate the Roy W. Johnson Residence Hall on the campus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

The 13-story tower was built in 1965 and is the oldest and largest dormitory on campus. It housed 450 students and featured dark, windowless hallways, dated bathrooms and tile flooring.

That outdated tower was turned into a modern building that provides users with a new experience. It even has a different name: the Hermann Viets Tower.

Named after the late Dr. Hermann Viets — MSOE’s fourth president — the new living hall is composed of 12 floors of single and double rooms. The addition of 48 new bedrooms and six Americans with Disabilities Act compliant rooms increased the housing capacity from 450 beds to 552 beds.

Each bedroom has a new air-conditioning unit and features modern furniture that enables students to rearrange and modfiy their spaces to suit their needs. The new building’s structure preserved the original concrete columns from the former Roy W. Johnson Residence Hall, giving it a rustic touch.

Viets Tower is the university’s first “living-learning community.” Such communities allow students to extend their learning beyond classrooms.

The project was completed in August 2021 at a cost of $29.1 million, and it has received rave reviews from students.

“I enjoy how spacious the ground floor of Viets Tower is,” said Abby Gventer, who is majoring in mechanical engineering. “It is very inviting, and the modern feel makes it an exciting place to study. I really enjoy this versatility and I love that all of this is located within the building where I stay. It makes it much easier to meet up with groups for studying and to make friends.”