The University of Delaware has announced plans to close down its remaining West Campus buildings.
The Caesar Rodney and John Dickinson residence halls will be shuttered in May 2015.
UD’s executive director of residence life and housing Kathleen Kerr says after considering various student needs - such as transportation routes, distance to dining halls, and the need to enrich their freshman communities - the school decided to close the aging buildings and focus on other areas
“We have freshman neighborhoods on the Laird part of campus and also on the central and east parts of campus. We would just strengthen our freshman neighborhoods on those parts of campus,” said Kerr.
Originally built in 1966, the halls provided residence for 700 students.
The renovated Harrington complex and the new Academy Street Dining and Residence Hall opening in Fall 2015 will help close the gap in freshman housing.
Kerr says she understands that many alumni who lived in Rodney and Dickinson want to remember the time they spent there and have a chance to say good-bye.
“There have been some alumni posting comments on Facebook about wanting to come over and wanting to take some photos before they close. They played an important role in many of our students’ lives so we will make plans so that students who wish to reminisce about their times in Rodney and Dickinson, we have some plans for that to happen,” said Kerr.
While there are no immediate plans for demolishing the halls, the University of Delaware is considering various possibilities for how to use the land.
