Epworth Residence Hall closes after pipe burst, residents move to Blue Light Living

Epworth Residence Hall closed indefinitely after a pipe burst, causing current and expected residents of the University’s oldest building to move to The Blue Light Living apartment complex.

Residents told The Chronicle that they lived in Epworth for over a week after the pipe burst, until being told in an impromptu meeting that they would need to move out that day. They said the University assisted them in the move-out process by providing moving boxes and shuttles.

Epworth, a wood-frame building on East Campus constructed in 1892, houses students from Duke Kunshan University studying abroad on Duke’s Durham campus.

“A pipe burst in Epworth Residence Hall on Aug. 9, just before fall classes began,” wrote Christopher Rossi, associate vice president of student affairs for resource administration and planning, in a Thursday email to The Chronicle. “We moved students to the fully furnished apartments at Blue Light for the fall semester while we repair the damage and closely evaluate the facility’s needs to identify any additional work that can be done while the building is vacant.”

The change comes after some DKU students shared concerns over difficulty integrating with the social scene at Duke, pointing in particular to being assigned to housing on East Campus as juniors, separate from their peers.

Blue Light was acquired by the University in January and is now connected to campus via a stop on the Swift bus route. The complex is located on Erwin Road about one block from East Campus.

Epworth was closed prior to fall move-in for many students. A flyer beside the building’s front door, attributed to East Campus Housing and Residence Life, instructed students assigned to Epworth to instead check-in at the East House lobby.

According to junior DKU exchange student Guangzhi Su, who lived in Epworth during the summer while conducting research on campus, the pipe burst took place in a second-floor bathroom. He says the incident triggered the building’s smoke alarm, which led to a temporary evacuation and a response from the fire department.

“I unpack[ed] all my stuff, and then they sa[id] that there [was] an emergency meeting,” he said. Su noted that residents were gathered and told that “Epworth Residence Hall cannot be used anymore.”

Wang said that “the day that they held the meeting,” Epworth residents were told they should “immediately move out” and that a shuttle driver would be provided to help them.

Comparing Epworth to her new living situation in Blue Light, Wang said that Epworth had a “traffic advantage” because the C1 bus comes more frequently than the Swift bus. 

However, Wang enjoys Blue Light’s amenities, such as a kitchen shared by her and her roommates. Su and Wang said that Epworth had one communal kitchen for all residents.

Su noted that Blue Light suites have a kitchen, laundry machine, sofa and television. He shared that it is difficult to participate in activities held on East Campus because the Swift bus only connects to West Campus.

Wang and Su both recounted frequent cockroach encounters in Epworth, a phenomenon described by residents since at least 2016.

Su shared that his housing expenses were not adjusted after the move, despite the significant difference in facility amenities between Epworth and Blue Light’s suite-style housing.

Epworth was first constructed as an inn with 75 rooms and a 250-person dining hall. It was once considered the “residential and social center of Trinity College.”

After a fire in 1914, the building was renovated and reduced to about one-third of its initial size. It was again remodeled in 1949. In the 1960s, Epworth served as a “contemporary arts living community for the Woman’s College.”

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