Sister Thea Bowman Hall
Overview
At the corner of Cardinal and City Avenue, Sister Thea Bowman Hall, a new first-year residence, will welcome more than 500 students in the fall of 2025. The exteriors will reflect the familiar stone masonry of our buildings here on campus, in keeping with the architecture in this area of campus. Sister Thea Bowman Hall is named in honor of the late educator, evangelist and social justice advocate who is a candidate for sainthood.
Quick Facts
Address: 5800 City Avenue Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131
Please refer to the Mail Services website for information regarding mailing addresses!
Capacity: 578 residents
Typical Room Dimensions: 17' length x 10' 3" width
Window Measurements & Info
Configuration: Six-story (five residential floors) with a hall-style set-up.
Furniture: Each room has a twin XL bed, desk and chair and wardrobe with a built-in dresser per resident.
Amenities
- Shared double rooms
- Students on each floor share access to 2 women’s restrooms, 2 men’s restrooms, and 1 all gender restroom
- 128 students and 3 RAs per floor.
- Air conditioning in all student rooms
- Each floor has 5 lounges and 3 study rooms.
- Basic streaming television service included (Comcast)
- Building-wide wireless network access
- 24-hour security desk
- University meal plan required
- Laundry facilities
- Vending machines
- Home to the Health Professions Residential Learning Community and McConnell Scholars Program community
Sustainability
Sr. Thea Bowman Hall will offer residents a greener, healthier and more sustainable living experience through the following eco-friendly innovations.
- Geothermal Energy: Utilizing the Earth's natural heat, geothermal wells provide efficient and sustainable heating and cooling.
- Solar Power: A cutting-edge solar system will also help power the building, reducing the University’s carbon footprint and saving energy costs.
- Bioretention Basin and Underground Stormwater Retention Systems: These innovative systems will help manage stormwater runoff, improve water quality and create beautiful green spaces.
- Material Reuse: Trees removed during construction were repurposed into furniture through Saint Joseph’s partnership with a local nonprofit.
- LEED Certification: The University’s commitment to sustainability is further solidified by pursuing LEED certification, a globally recognized standard for green buildings.
- Our Commitment to Health and Wellness
Sister Thea Bowman Hall will support student health and well-being by providing clean indoor air, ample natural light, and optimal temperature and humidity levels, all of which reduce stress, allergies and respiratory issues. Sustainable materials will also be used in the building to lower exposure to harmful chemicals. To offset the impact of construction, 434 new trees will be planted across campus: 65 in fall 2024 and 369 in fall 2025. Lush green spaces will enhance the beauty of Saint Joseph’s Hawk Hill campus, provide shade and improve air quality for students, faculty and staff alike.
Floor Plans
Fall 2025 Updates for Sister Thea Residents
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate the twists and turns of bringing a new residence hall to life.
Below you will find updates to residents of Sister Thea Bowman Hall, including information about upcoming, planned disruptions or any issues that have been resolved. We will also provide answers to the most frequently asked questions we find ourselves fielding day to day.
Upcoming Next Week: September 2-5
Planned Construction Disruptions
From September 2-5, from 1-2:30 p.m., there will be noise disturbances due to construction on the exterior of the building along City Avenue. This will impact CAPS offices as well as students residing in third and fourth floor rooms along the City Avenue wing of the building. It is advisable to move your recreational or study activities to other areas of campus during this window of time.
Ground Floor Finishing Work
The common areas on the ground floor remain in progress; you will notice work continuing in this area. The laundry room is open and available for use. The kitchen remains closed while work is completed. We know students are excited to use this beautiful space and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s available for student use.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sister Thea receives scheduled housekeeping services Sunday through Friday from 6 a.m.-2 p.m and regular spot-checking occurs throughout the weekend. These services extend to the residence hall’s hallways, bathrooms and common areas. If students are experiencing an absence of service in these areas, they are encouraged to continue reporting any problems through Asset Essentials to ensure they are addressed as quickly as possible.
Students throughout campus are expected to clean their own rooms. This includes taking out their own trash by bringing it to trash rooms located on each residential floor. Keeping your living space clean and tidy is part of our students’ independent living experience and assists in keeping our living environments clear of pests.
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Elevators 3 and 4 are currently not online. To mitigate any traffic issues this may cause, students should utilize Stairwell 2 when navigating to other floors on foot. Stairwell 2 is the main stairwell, located in the main lobby to the left of the front desk. Elevators 3 and 4 are expected to come online during the week of Sept. 22. Once elevators 3 and 4 are online, we will update Sister Thea residents with new instructions for traveling through the building.
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The alarm and signal system at Sister Thea is complex and integrates with multiple communications systems, not only within the University’s ecosystem but with regional emergency services. Certain sensors and relays have required reprogramming as they have come online. The University’s operations team is working diligently to update and refine the mechanics of the alarm and signaling systems to eliminate the occurrence of false alarms. Additional technical staff are present in Sr. Thea until the issue is resolved.
We understand that continuous alarms are disruptive. With that said, please never assume an alarm is going off in error unless you have been notified that a drill is occurring. Each and every call for an evacuation should be treated as a true emergency and instructions to vacate the premises should be followed.
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We are continuing to make configuration changes and have observed notable improvements in WiFi speed throughout the building. However, we recognize that there may be some areas of the building that do not yet reflect these improvements. We are actively testing and fine-tuning wireless coverage throughout the building to ensure a consistent and reliable connection for all areas. To report dead zones, please contact the Technology Service Center at 610-660-2920 or request service.
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Only residents of Sister Thea Bowman Hall have ID card tap access to the building and its amenities. Students are reminded to tap their card at the building main entrance doors, and again at the front desk tap reader. (Hint: take your ID card out of your wallet for an easier read!) These security measures help us keep the building safe and secure. Residents who wish to have guests must follow the University guest policies and sign in guests at the front desk. Guests will receive a guest pass that is specific for Sister Thea Bowman Hall. As work continues in the building, floor level access will change for students. We will continue to provide updates about these changes when they go into effect.
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Asset Essentials is the Work Request system utilized by the SJU Facilities & Housekeeping Teams. When you submit a work request through this system, you will be able to see the status of your request as well as any notes or resolution related to the request. If you have submitted a request, you do not need to be present in your room when the staff members respond to address the work request - the staff member will update the work request in the Asset Essentials system and will often leave a door hanger on your door with a note of what was completed. Submitting a work order helps you receive the fastest resolution to any facilities issues you encounter, and helps the University track any building-wide trends.