A vacant building at 708 W. Grace St. in Richmond, Va., was demolished recently as part of an plan to build new dormitories for honors students at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).

The property was cleared so that it could be the site for the new student housing, expected to begin construction in 2024. Plans call for the project to be completed in time for the fall semester of 2026, according to VCU Vice President for Administration Meredith Weiss.

VCU's plans show that the Honors College Housing complex will be constructed along 700-716 W. Grace St.

Weiss told WRIC-TV in Richmond that the project is in response to increased demand for on-campus housing, but the new Honors College Housing facility also will provide office and teaching space, collaborative areas and event space for the honors program.

The university's honors students are currently housed in a 177-bed residence hall near the new building site, and it will continue to house VCU students until the construction project is finished and open. The new dorm is expected to have a higher capacity than the current building, although the exact size and number of beds has yet to be determined.

VCU also is planning to demolish the current Facilities and Financial Services Building at 700 W. Grace St. to make way for the new dorm, Weiss added. That demolition is planned for November 2023.

Other New Buildings Part of VCU's Plans

The university's proposed construction is all part of its Six-Year Capital Plan, which includes building projects for VCU from now until 2028. Among the more notable works is an Arts and Innovation Academic Building at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets, which will begin construction in September 2023.

Another project, slated to get under way next month, is a modern information technology (IT) center at 707 W. Broad St., intended to serve VCU and its health system.

The six-story, 30,000-sq.-ft. facility was announced last November, and at the time was expected to cost $42 million to $44 million, with the university paying $23 million of that figure and the state making up the rest.

But Data Center Dynamics (DCD), a global data center news service, reported in May that VCU's new IT building, originally planned to cost $580 per sq. ft., will now cost $970 per sq. ft., with the jump due to increased labor and construction costs, along with the unforeseen need to put in a raised floor, and data center cooling systems.

VCU's current IT center is housed in the Pocahontas Building, next to the Virginia Capital, but the state wants that building back so that it can demolish it and construct a new Supreme Court on the site, according to DCD. The university decided, instead, to erect its new IT facility on a parking lot next to its existing technology services building, owned by the university's real estate arm, the VCU Real Estate Foundation.

Prior to being vacated, the property next door at 708 W. Grace St. was the longtime home of Sally Bell's Kitchen, a popular local eatery. The restaurant has since moved into a new location on West Broad Street in Richmond.

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