Maxcy, Woodrow renovations to complete in July, mark first projects in $191 million plan
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USC is rolling forward with its 10-year master housing plan, with renovations to two Horseshoe residence halls set to be completed by the end of July.
Restoration at 75-year-old Maxcy College and 98-year-old Woodrow began at the start of May and are costing the university $4.1 million and $2.1 million, respectively. Both buildings are scheduled to open for the Fall 2012 semester. Budgeted renovations at Maxcy include a new mechanical system and a complete reconfiguration of the building’s first floor, which will accommodate the new Carolina International House in the fall. The new living and learning community will feature a demonstration kitchen, a large seating area, office space and apartments for visiting faculty.
“All these things are new to Maxcy, but they fit into this regular theme of being the center of international students on campus,” Carolina International House Director and political science professor Lee Walker said. “This has been in the works for several years and is part of a greater vision for an international village for the university.“
Meanwhile, Woodrow will open in the fall with new windows and a new fire-suppression sprinkler system.
Both are part of a $191 million housing plan approved by the Board of Trustees in September 2011. Developed after an extensive market study, the plan aims to update USC’s residence halls and add 1,173 beds to campus capacity by 2021.
Payment for the rolling plan is to be divided between $156 million in revenue bonds and the remaining $53 million student housing fees, according to the original proposal to the board of trustees. Housing proposes to increase housing fees a weighted average of 4.8 percent, with exact increases depending on the extent of repair at certain residence halls.
“When we say fee, that’s basically like student rent,” university spokesman Wes Hickman said.
Executive Director of University Housing Kirsten Kennedy said the project would be a continuation of successful renovations that have already happened, such as the overhaul of Patterson.
“Significant work has been done in University Housing already through new construction and refreshing current buildings,” Kennedy said. “However, this is the first plan that looked comprehensively at housing inventory, market trends and financial conditions.”
Within the next three years, University Housing also plans to spend $1.5 million replacing the flooring and renovating the bathrooms at Preston College. Housing also aims to complete renovations begun at DeSaussure College and Harper/Elliot Colleges last summer with new interior doors and new furniture at a total cost of $8.3 million.
Anticipated projects further down the line include the demolition of Bates House, McBryde Quadrangle, Carolina Gardens, Cliff Apartments and the Roost and the addition of seven new buildings.