Historic Varsity Hall, headquarters of the Air Force ROTC Detachment 890, will soon be moved to a new site.
The Board of Visitors met Oct. 2 to discuss plans for relocating Varsity Hall, coming to a decision after months of consideration.
"The site the board decided on was just east of Washington Hall; Hotel B on the East Ranges," said Colette Sheehy, vice president of management and budget, who reviewed the Board's findings.
The move comes as a result of the McIntire School of Commerce's "Back to the Lawn" campaign -- a $50 million expansion project. A 100,000 square foot building will be constructed alongside a newly renovated Rouss Hall to house the McIntire school.
This large addition will allow the McIntire School to create interdisciplinary courses. Plans for the new building, however, encroach on Varsity Hall's current location, forcing relocation.
The projected cost for moving Varsity Hall is $1.2 million. The funds for this move will come from the Commerce School project, according to officials.
"If all goes well," Sheehy said, "the schedule would be to have the building moved by June so Commerce can start its project."
Construction on the Commerce project will begin in the spring of 2004 and will take two years to complete.
Last spring, the Board debated the idea of demolishing Varsity Hall. The Buildings and Grounds Committee later decided, during its May 23 discussion of the Rouss Hall Renovation and the Commerce School project, that the building should instead be relocated for posterity.
Varsity Hall has been an integral part of the University since the mid 19th century. It was constructed in July of 1857 as a student infirmary. In the early 1900s it became the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. Since 1951, however, it has served as both headquarters and classrooms for Detachment 890, the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps.
University spokesperson Carol Wood said Varsity Hall is special not only because of its rich history but also for its distinctive design.
"The unique ventilation system makes it historic," Wood said. "It is the oldest surviving example of its kind in the country."
College administrators plan to make use of Monroe Hall after the McIntire School vacates the premises. Whether ROTC will be the future resident of the relocated Varsity Hall remains undecided, but ROTC officials said they are understanding.
"It is a good thing for the School of Commerce and the economics department, but it has been our building since ROTC began in 1951 -- we love this building," Colonel John Vrba said. "This is a very expensive building to maintain and there is no other place for Commerce to expand, so we understand."
Wood said the University hopes to take advantage of the move to improve both Varsity Hall itself and the space it currently occupies.
"It will become top academic space," Wood said. "But it will retain some of the flavor of the University's history."
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