Development News

A longstanding problem at Howard University is on the mend. Construction permits were granted for two new residence halls last month in Howard’s 4th Street corridor and ground has recently broken.

"The addition of these state-of-the-art residential facilities will help to revitalize the 4th Street corridor of our campus and establish a physical community for students to live, learn and socialize," said Sidney A. Ribeau, president of Howard University, in a statement released yesterday. "By improving the quality of our housing, this project will aid in the recruitment and retention of students and enhance the overall collegiate experience at Howard University."

The $107 million project will produce two modern freshman and sophomore student dormitories. One residence hall will be located on 4th Street NW between Bryant Street and W Street and house 894 students in 459 rooms, and the other will be at the corner of 4th Street NW and College Street NW with 240 new dorm rooms and 466 beds.

The dorms, three years in the planning, will replace a parking lot on Bryant Street and a vacant lot on College Street left empty after the university demolished an older residence hall.

The new dorms will both hold social lounges, recreation centers and laundry facilities, but the Bryant dorm will also hold faculty offices, classrooms, study rooms for students and meeting rooms. The Bryant Street dorm will be around 250,000 square feet and the College Street dorm will be about 138,000 square feet.

Developers Campus Apartments are expected to have the project complete around August 2014, in time for the 2014-2015 school year, says Kerry-Ann Hamilton, executive director, marketing and communications, at Howard.

"This neighborhood-style development will create a strong sense of community for students and will promote collaborative opportunities across the University," said Dr. Barbara Griffin, vice president for student affairs, in a statement released yesterday.