Motorists traveling along North Broadway soon will see significant signs of progress with Transylvania University’s new Campus Center project.
Construction fences and banners are up, and the 60-year-old Forrer Residence Hall will be demolished by the end of the month.
Crews already have taken down the back of Forrer and soon will demolish the front. Construction on the $30 million Campus Center will begin immediately after demolition.
The new 97,710-square-foot building (61,400 square feet of new construction and 36,310 square feet of renovated space) will feature event spaces for campus and outside groups, classrooms and dining facilities including the Great Hall, which will seat up to 450 and remain open 24/7 as a place for students to gather.
The new Campus Center is expected to open in September 2020.
“It will be the bridge between the academic and residential sides of campus,” said Marc Mathews, vice president for finance and business. “It will be a hub that everybody goes in every day.” In addition to Transylvania students, faculty, staff and the Lexington community will use the new facility.
The project also will include renovations to the existing William T. Young Campus Center, most of which will remain open until next summer—when everything except the pool will close.
To accommodate construction, the university has made changes that include office moves and expansion of other dining spaces.
Check out the renderings of the future Campus Center, and get more details here.
The project’s general contractor is Lexington’s Congleton-Hacker.