Belmont Abbey College announces the completion of the newest addition to its campus, a 136-room residence hall. The largest capital investment in the college’s history, the new hall primarily serves upperclassmen but also adds new classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces. MKC Architects designed the new building to mirror the Gothic architecture prominent on the college’s campus. This historic accomplishment came about due to the college’s partnerships with University Housing Solutions and Shiel Sexton Inc.
“The new residence hall is so pretty! I like that there’s a kitchenette on each floor because it’s an easy way to be around friends,” said Lauren Carpenter resident of the new dorm, “The laundry rooms on each floor are very convenient as well. It is one of the best spots on campus right by the cafeteria and close to all of the buildings for classes!”
The structure is five stories, with the first story having meeting areas, social areas, offices, two classrooms, and a student lounge available to all students, including commuters. The upper floors alternate between a men’s and women’s floor. Each residence floor has a kitchenette, study areas, a laundry area, and a gathering area on each side. For security, the upper floors are only accessible via the elevator and the stairwell with the student’s magnetic ID that will permit them to their floor.
The Belmont Abbey College Board of Trustees and the Southern Benedictine Society approved the addition of a new residential facility in October 2018. The new dorms conceptual design phase completed in May 2019. In December 2020 the college received all permitting. After the design process, construction began in January 2020 and finished in January 2021. “The new residence hall answers a need we’ve had for several years,” said Tom MacAlester, Vice Provost & Dean of Student Life, “When students live on campus, they have a more enjoyable and more successful college career. We look forward to having greater capacity on our campus, and giving more students the ability to call Belmont Abbey College their home away from home.”
The new hall welcomed its first residents at the beginning of the spring semester in January 2021. The annual cost for the new residence is $7,300 per year which is only about $70 more a month than St. Scholastica and St. Benedict Halls which were the last new halls built in 2013. Shiel Sexton, the general contractor generously donated $20 gift cards to Bearded Buffalo for the residents of the new dormitory. This serves as a thank you to the college and the residents of the new dormitory.
For more information regarding the new halls, contact the college admissions office at admissions@bac.edu or by calling 1-888-222-0110.