Students having trouble finding Pelham Hall should look no further than the pile of rubble and debris on the Mount Vernon Campus.

The residence hall was completely leveled during the first stage of a major renovation that will triple the existing number of beds in the building and add additional space for dining and student organizations.

Demolition began on July 17 and is expected to continue through the rest of the summer.

The D.C. Zoning Commission approved the plans for 92,300-square-foot residence hall in 2007 and the project is scheduled for completion in 2010, Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz said.

“We will be starting construction this fall,” Katz said. “We are actually a little ahead of schedule right now, but I expect that won’t last long.”

Pelham Hall is set to provide many sought-after facilities, including dining venues, student meeting space, theater space, a gym and music practice rooms. Theater space has become a hot-button issue in recent years, with student groups struggling to find performance space in Foggy Bottom.

The facility will also be able to accommodate more than 287 students in singles and doubles when it opens.

Robert Chernak, senior vice president for Student and Academic Support Services, said the new residence hall with extra space will help alleviate the undergraduate housing crunch. An unexpectedly large freshman class this year sent administrators scrambling to find beds for every student.

Chernak said, “Pelham Hall, once it opens, will provide the beds and space that the University is looking for right now.”