Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Providence College Plans $54M Residence Hall

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/17/22

Providence College in Providence, R.I., has developed plans to build a $54-million, six-story residence hall that could potentially open in September 2023. The Providence City Plan Commission voted on Tuesday, March 15, to approve an amendment to the college’s institutional master plan allowing the college to move forward with construction. The new Shanley Hall, to be named after former college president the Rev. Brian Shanley, would cover about 123,000 square feet and contain beds for 355–360 sophomore students, according to local news.

The new building will allow students to temporarily move out of another campus dormitory, Aquinas Hall, which was built in 1939. Aquinas Hall will see its own series of renovations once the building is vacant, said college spokesman Steven Maurano.

“The rooms are fairly small, and the bathrooms really need to be updated,” Maurano said of Aquinas Hall. “And so, when we go in and renovate that building, I expect that we’re going to renovate it such that we have less rooms in it than we do now. Because when we renovate, we’ll make the existing rooms bigger. The bathrooms will be bigger and more modern.”

Shanley Hall will include amenities like lounges, study rooms, quiet alcoves, meeting rooms and communal kitchens, according to local news.

“This particular building is to accommodate students with our present enrollment on campus,” said Mark Rapoza, assistant vice president for capital projects and facilities for Providence College. “That doesn’t mean in the future we won’t be coming forward with an additional amendment somewhere down the road to create some additional beds if we need to be able to do that.”

Shanley Hall would become the college’s first new residence hall since 2005. The university partnered with architectural firm Symmes Maini & Mckee Associates for the facility’s design.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.