The 73,000 square foot Kauke Hall is distinctively a collegiate gothic style, likely designed to model English universities. MCF's $14.5 million restoration of the 1902 building was more a reclamation. The lay-in ceilings are gone and the high, timber framed ceilings are exposed once again. The full height of the original windows, including the transoms were restored. Traditional wood mouldings and paneling were exposed and refinished. Built-in wood bookshelves with library ladders are in each faculty office.
The brick and terra cotta have been restored. New insulated aluminum windows, in the profile of historic windows, replaced the old wood windows. The plan was reorganized to accommodate today's pedagogy. Split into two wings, the east wing contains 20 classrooms, and the west wing contains 68 faculty offices. A cafe terrace underneath the entry permits light to flood the new ground floor coffee shop. Several intimate atrium spaces have been added. A large student common area now sits on the second floor; directly above the Delmar Arch,with a commanding view south to the Quinby Quad. A new classroom on the third floor now incorporates one of the buildings existing towers and has the same spectacular view of Quinby Quad and of Wayne County. Kauke Hall continues to be the icon of the college and the heart of the campus. Graduation is still staged here every year in May, and students still pack the central front Arch with snow every winter.