LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - The University of Kansas will close a residence hall that opened in 1996 because the cost of renovations is prohibitive and the school’s nine other residence halls are not full.
The university said Friday it has shelved plans to renovate Oliver Hall, which has been closed since the end of the 2018-19 school year, The Lawrence Journal-World reported.
“It’s a really old building with old bones, and did it make sense to put $25 million to $40 million into that building? And would we have the demand for it if we did?” Chancellor Douglas Girod said. “Our projections right now look like that probably would not be the case.”
University spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson said the residence halls were 95.1% full on the 20th day of classes in the fall. Girod said closing Oliver Hall was more sensible in part because the other residence halls on campus aren’t full.
Kansas has added several on-campus housing options in recent years and students can choose between nine residence halls, 12 scholarship halls and the Jayhawker Towers and Stouffer Place Apartments.
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