UT Constructs Phase One of New Residence Hall Complex

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The University of Tampa has broken ground on a new, seven-story residence hall on the site of a recently demolished residence hall.

The southern wing of ResCom, which faced North A Street on campus, was demolished last week. ResCom, which was built in 1986 with three, three-story, apartment-like wings, housed a total of 234 students. It is located toward the center of campus, between Brevard Hall and the Thomas Parking Garage.

The as-of-yet unnamed residence hall will rise in the current southern wing’s place. Construction has begun, and the new hall is set to be completed by late January 2015. While the demolished wing housed 93 students, the new construction will house 209 students.

The total project will call for a similar demolition of the northern and eastern wings of ResCom, and replacement with new, joined residence halls. The overall footprint will be similar to its current configuration, with a courtyard within the three wings. The timeline for the total project completion has not yet been determined.

Once the entire project is completed, the residence hall complex will house 519 students, compared to ResCom’s 234 total occupancy.

The new wing will reflect the latest in university campus amenities, while also offering similar amenities as ResCom currently does. Each room will be suite-style with a common living room, kitchen, bathroom and four single rooms. All rooms will be cable and network ready. When completed, the residence hall will also feature student gathering spaces.

The proposed design indicates the new building will blend with the architecture of the campus, with red brick, stucco and glass.

"ResCom has been a highly successful and popular residence hall. It was ahead of its time upon its construction, but time and wear and tear has called for its demolition,” said Ronald L. Vaughn, president of UT. “We see this as an opportunity to enlarge our residential campus and provide more students with an exemplary on-campus living situation that will augment their academic and co-curricular experiences.”

This new residential community will represent the eighth new residence hall built under the leadership of Vaughn. The campus’ physical growth comes as a result of significant enrollment expansion that has quadrupled over the last 17 years to more than 7,400 students estimated for Fall 2014. The University has invested approximately $400 million in new construction since 1997.

Currently about 65 percent of full-time UT students live in campus housing.

In alignment with UT’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the new building will be designed and constructed to be consistent with certain sustainability guidelines.

Crossroads Construction has been named to build the first phase of the residence hall.