https://newsadvance.com/news/state-and-regional/vsu-breaks-ground-on-largest-building-in-campus-history-a-120-million-academic-center/article_3b6af1fb-a1d7-5d5c-be59-08a1b5ee2b08.html Virginia State University has broken ground on the largest building in the university's history, a $120 million academic facility that will house 110 offices, 40 classrooms, a theater, gym and pool. In a ceremony Friday, VSU introduced the Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons, named for a founder of the university, a building that will provide "transformational academic experiences," the university said. With three stories, 174,000 square feet and a long, curved glass facade, the Harris Academic Commons will be on the north end of campus where the current Harris Hall stands. The old Harris Hall will be torn down. The new building also will replace Daniels Gymnasium, which was home to the men's and women's basketball teams until the 6,000-seat Multi-Purpose Center opened in 2016. The university's master plan calls for building new athletic fields and outdoor basketball courts where Daniels currently stands. In addition to housing the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education, the Harris Academic Commons will include an exhibition gallery and community space. "We are thrilled about the greater academic experiences that will happen in our new building," said school president Makola Abdullah. The state will foot the bill for construction, and the General Assembly already has allocated the funds.
The building is named for Alfred W. Harris, a Black attorney and delegate in the General Assembly who in 1882 sponsored a bill to charter Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute, which became Virginia State, a historically Black university in Ettrick with 4,300 students. "The new Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons building will be the epitome of the vision of our founder and its namesake as it will offer a place of transformation for our students," Abdullah said. The university plans to build, renovate and reimagine several other elements of the campus in the next 10 years. Among them is an initiative to close off University Avenue, a road that cuts through the center of campus, into a pedestrian walkway. According to the VSU master plan, which is not final, VSU recommends building a 30,000-square-foot addition to Johnston Memorial Library, a leadership building along Boisseau Street, an outdoor performance stage and amphitheater and a new academic building nearby. If the plan is fulfilled, VSU also will build a 30,000-square foot building at the north end of University Avenue near the baseball and football fields. It would serve as a welcome center, admissions building and alumni meeting space. On the southern end of campus, the university plans to build a walking bridge across the Appomattox river into Petersburg utilizing the abandoned railroad supports still standing. It would revitalize old architecture, similar to the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge in Richmond or the High Line in New York city, the master plan states.
VSU also plans to renovate a dozen other campus buildings, build an urban agricultural cooperative extension center near the Multi-Purpose Center and add 500 dormitory beds during the next 10 years. The university grew by nearly 300 students in the fall of 2021, reversing three years of contraction. A decade ago, VSU had 6,200 students, and the university intends to return to 6,000 in the coming decade.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please make contact directly with VSU for bid results and awards as they will not be shared publicly. For the following Bid Packages 1.0 Turnkey Ceramics Building, 2.1 Demolition, 3.0 Building Concrete, 5.0 Structural Steel, 26.1 Site Electrical, 32.0 Sitework, and 32.1 Aggregate Piers. The project consists of a new 172,000 SF Academic Commons Building and a new 2,000 SF Ceramics Building. Demolition consists of removing existing Harris Hall Building and Plaza. The State reserves the unqualified right to reject any and all proposals. Skanska USA Building, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to ensuring Small, Minority and Women Business Enterprise participation on this project.
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