Pace sophomore Addison Casey was sent to the hospital to get stitches after slipping on a loose tile on the second floor of Dow Hall late Saturday, March 29.

Casey was running through the halls of the University’s residential hall on the Briarcliff Campus when a floor tile became loose and he slipped. He ran straight into the wall as the tile cut him on his stomach.

“He ran at least ten laps around the building before he fell,” an anonymous Dow Hall Resident said. “By the time [Resident Assistant John Schwartz] got there, Addison was on the floor.”

An ambulance was called and Casey received eight stitches on his lower stomach.

“He was running and joking around,” sophomore communications major and Dow Hall resident Brianna Connelly said, who witnessed the incident. “[The cut] was bad; it was pretty deep too.”

Dow Hall is one of the older buildings on campus, as it was originally a mansion later turned into a boarding school. Eventually the building was turned into Briarcliff Junior College in 1904, then afterwards into Briarcliff College. The rich history and unique look of the building bring character to Pace University’s Briarcliff campus.

“I think it’s a great building for a residence hall,” the anonymous resident said. “I like the variety.”

Students joke that it is “haunted” by the ghost of Mrs. Dow whose portrait hangs next to the staircase, but there are more than apparitions that come with the building’s old age. Many students hold gripes about the condition of the building that is over 100 years old.

“The [staircase] railings are falling off,” Connelly said. “Someone’s going to fall.”

The fourth floor of Dow Hall is abandoned and closed off to residents because it is considered a safety hazard. The doors are locked and the only way to go up is with the permission of campus security. The state of this floor brings some skepticism of the residence hall to the residents. There are complaints from residents about the functionality of the community bathrooms as well as the pipes that can be heard through the walls of the building, but incidents like Casey’s are considered uncommon.

“It was abnormal to say the least,” the anonymous resident said. “Most complaints are from clogged toilets and roaches.”

In comparison to other dormitories at Pace University, residents say that Dow Hall is not irregular in the frequency of repairs. The townhouses have maintenance requests more frequently, but the causes are more commonly at the fault of the residents rather than for regular maintenance.

Although Dow will eventually be replaced by dorms that are a part of the Master Plan, until then, the neglect of the historical building may need to be addressed.