Fox Valley Plumbing redesigns Judson University floor for RISE students

Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow finished a full plumbing overhaul of Judson University’s fourth floor at Lindner Tower in Elgin, converting a former hotel layout into accessible housing for the RISE Program. The project added individual room kitchens, shared amenities and upgraded bathrooms for students with intellectual disabilities.

Why it matters: - The redesign changes a former hotel floor into housing that better supports independence for Judson University students in the RISE Program. - The project adds accessible bathrooms, private cooking space and shared amenities designed for daily student life. - The work shows how older campus buildings can be repurposed for specialized residential programs.

What happened: - Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow completed a full plumbing redesign of the fourth floor of Lindner Tower at Judson University in Elgin. - The floor now serves Judson’s RISE Program, a two-year residential college program for students with intellectual disabilities. - Work began in summer 2025 and passed final plumbing inspection in July 2026. - Lindner Tower is a seven-story former hotel at 1151 N. State St. that Judson converted for campus use.

The details: - The fourth floor originally had about 25 bathrooms left over from the hotel layout. - Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow demolished the old plumbing, redesigned the system and repiped the floor. - The finished floor now has 13 bathrooms instead of 25. - The new bathrooms include accessible showers in place of the old bathtubs. - Each residential room now has a kitchen, where none existed before. - The floor also includes a community kitchen with two sinks. - The plumbing scope included a beauty salon, a laundry room and a drinking fountain. - The project required major changes to the domestic water supply and sanitary drainage. - RISE stands for Road to Independent Living, Spiritual Formation and Employment. - Students in the program enroll between ages 18 and 25. - RISE students live on campus with traditional students and complete internships on and off campus. - Students work toward a Certificate of Completion in Liberal Arts with a chosen concentration. - Judson began developing RISE in 2016 and welcomed its first students in fall 2017. - RISE is a federally recognized Comprehensive Transition Program. - Judson was the first Christian university in Illinois to offer one.

Between the lines: - The project goes beyond routine renovation because the existing hotel plumbing had to be reworked for a very different living model. - The new layout supports privacy, accessibility and shared living for students who need a more structured residential environment. - Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow also serves as Judson University’s exclusive plumbing contractor, according to owner Matt Moraca.

What’s next: - Judson students in the RISE Program will move into a floor built for longer-term residential use and daily independence. - Fox Valley Plumbing & Backflow continues to provide commercial plumbing services across Elgin and Kane County. - Facility managers and building owners can contact the company at (847) 624-3872 or foxvalleyplumbing.com.

The bottom line: - A former hotel floor was transformed into accessible student housing that better fits Judson University’s RISE Program.