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Wofford to Add Apartment Buildings

Posted on: Thursday, 2 February 2006, 21:01 CST

By Mesha Y. Williams, Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, S.C.

Feb. 2--Wofford College will offer upper class students apartment-style housing this fall. The student apartment buildings will border Evins, Osage and Thomas streets.

Plans call for at least nine one- to two-story structures in various styles that will accommodate up to 80 students.

Wofford has not decided an official name for the apartments, which will cost about $3 million to construct.

The housing is intended for college seniors, who will be chosen through a lottery.

College officials say they would like to create a "neighborhood" type atmosphere for students living in the apartments.

Between 85 and 90 percent of Wofford students live on campus, and college spokeswoman Laura Corbin said the college has tried to accommodate all who want to live on campus.

Wofford has an enrollment of 1,150 students, and over the next couple of years expects to experience a moderate increase to 1,450 students, Corbin said.

The plans help Wofford's overall efforts to make quality improvements across the campus, she said.

"Most students either go to graduate school or into the workforce and most likely find themselves in apartment-style living," Corbin said.

"This is another step for us to help students make the transition."

The apartments will feature two bathrooms, kitchen, living area, porches and courtyards. They will be cable-ready and have wireless Internet access.

Wofford student Evan Smith, 21, a junior who studies biology, said the college's latest step is impressive.

"This is a good idea, and it's sort of cool to have options (besides the dormitories) and have them close to campus."

McMillan Smith & Partners are the lead architects on the project. Innocenti and Webel are the lead landscape architects. The apartments will be in the style of Italian architecture, mirroring buildings on Wofford's main campus, Corbin said.

The project still has to get final approval from the college's board of trustees when they meet later this month.

In addition, property has to be rezoned from residential and limited office to general institutional district.

Some current and former residents say the possibility of the neighborhood being revitalized is good.

Robert "Sonny" McCraw, 69, owner of McCraw's barbershop on West Pearl Street, grew up in the area.

"It was a great neighborhood when I was younger -- everybody knew everybody and took each other's problems as their own," he said. "I would think any improvements that could be made is good."

Lena Bryson, 77, who also lives in the neighborhood, says she's fine with Wofford's development as long as she can stay in the home she's lived in for the past 27 years.

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Source: Herald-Journal

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