In recent months St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has made historic investments into its campus. The major campus-wide improvements are part of the Seminary’s renewed commitment to remain at its current location in the Crestwood neighborhood of Yonkers, NY.
“Investing in our campus is really about investing in our seminarians, faculty, staff, and their families,” said SVOTS Dean Dr. Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie. “We have a responsibility to them to keep our campus and facilities updated and improved as part of the overall experience of living, being formed, and worshiping here.”
Support Campus Improvements at SVOTS
The Three Hierarchs Chapel steps were completely repaired.
The improvements include:
- The turnover of 21 apartments to prepare for incoming seminarians and staff members (work included professional painting, the installing of new flooring, new appliances where needed, and professional cleaning and repair);
- Professional cleaning, repair, and painting of all single student dormitory rooms and bathrooms;
- Professional cleaning of Three Hierarchs Chapel and Kunett Auditorium;
- Painting of Three Hierarchs Chapel nave and entrance;
- Complete repair of Three Hierarchs Chapel steps;
- Clean-up of all campus buildings and property, including the removal of over 120 cubic yards of old furniture and accumulated debris;
- Transfer of more than 150 pallets of SVS Press inventory to an off-site warehouse (as part of cost-cutting measure with WarePak to handle shipping and fulfillment needs for the Press), which will free up old storage areas on campus to accommodate classroom expansion and other needs (work began in Feb. 2025);
- Deep cleaning and removal of old and outdated kitchen and refectory equipment and furnishing, to accommodate improvements and new professional catering company which began serving the campus in August;
- Repair and replacement of deteriorated masonry, concrete, and asphalt throughout campus;
- Partnering with an outside professional landscape contractor to maintain the twelve-acre campus for weekly lawn care, tree trimming, and shrub pruning (starting in Spring 2025);
- A rebuild of the front porch of the Germack building;
- Improvements and repairs made to five faculty homes, including total renovation of some, with new HVAC systems and replacement of deteriorating decks and appliances;
- The purchase (in March) of a 2025 heavy-duty Chevy pickup truck with hydraulic snow plow for the grounds and maintenance crew.
The kitchen and refectory in the Germack Building, where the seminary community gathers for meals, were given an overhaul as the Seminary welcomed a new professional catering company to campus.
The overall cost of this round of capital improvements is approximately $350,000—more than four times the amount invested into campus improvements the previous summer.
“The scope and scale of all this work in such a short period of time is really unprecedented in the history of the Seminary,” said Senior Staff member Ted Bazil, who has been instrumental in overseeing the improvements made on campus. “These major improvements could not be done without the incredible generosity of our donors.
Landscapers have beautified and continue to maintain the campus grounds, including here outside the main entrance of the John G. Rangos Family Foundation Building.
“But we are not finished improving our campus for this generation and generations to come,” he added, “so we look to their continued support and prayers to help fund and make this all possible.”
If you are interested in helping fund more major improvements on the campus of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, consider making a donation to the Seminary’s capital improvements fund. For more information, contact Ginny Nieuwsma, Chief Advancement Officer, at ginnyn@svots.edu.
Support More Campus Improvements at SVOTS
New flooring was installed in a number of student apartments.
The front porch of the Germack Building, which houses single-student dormitories as well as the seminary kitchen and refectory, was rebuilt over the summer.
A new heavy-duty pickup truck and hydraulic snow plow were obtained for the grounds and maintenance crew.
