Late Summer Update on Campus Construction Projects Several campus projects have been completed in time for Fall Term.

By Brian Laubscher
August 21, 2025

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Washington and Lee University has completed a number of campus construction projects ahead of Fall Term 2025. Several other projects are ongoing, while others are just getting underway.

New Williams School Building
Construction on the new Williams School building began in June 2023 and was just completed as the university received the certificate of occupancy. The Williams School faculty and staff began moving into the building on Aug. 20. The 44,500-square-foot building features 10 classrooms, two innovation labs, 52 offices and extensive spaces for student-faculty collaboration.

Lindley Center for Student Wellness
Construction on the Lindley Center for Student Wellness, which began in April 2024, is now complete. The university has received the certificate of occupancy and the Lindley Health and Lindley Counseling staff have already moved into the new building. The upstairs clinic space officially opened on Aug. 4. The 14,600-square-foot building is named in remembrance of alumna and pediatrician Lindley Spaht Dodson ’99. The state-of-the-art facility is handicapped- and ambulance-accessible, featuring outpatient clinical exam rooms, treatment spaces, inpatient rooms and healthcare and counseling offices designed to ensure maximum privacy and provide top-notch care for W&L undergraduate and law students.

Tom Wolfe ’51 Reading Room
A renovation of the former Boatright Room, located in the Special Collection and Archives area of the Leyburn Library, began in April 2025 and is expected to be finished by Sept. 1. The new reading room, renamed in honor of Tom Wolfe ’51, will present the university with an upgraded research space. Only finishing touches remain before the room and the Special Collections and Archives reopen to the campus community.

Elrod Commons
Structural work to stabilize the back patio outside the Marketplace began in April and was completed over the summer. The addition of an ADA-compliant ramp providing access to the Marketplace and lower levels of Elrod Commons began shortly thereafter and is nearly complete. Construction crews are working on the finishing touches and the area is expected to be open by next week.

Wilson Field Footbridge
The concrete stairs located at the end of the Wilson Field Footbridge leading to Cannan Green have been replaced and are now available for use.

Sorority Footbridge
The bridge leading to the sorority houses received preventive maintenance to the walking surface and railings. This work is now finished, and the footbridge is once again open for daily use.

University Parking Garage
The University Parking Garage began receiving preventive maintenance in early June. That work has also been completed, and all levels of the garage are once again available for daily use.

Washburn Tennis Courts (Lower Courts)
Renovations to the lower Washburn Tennis Courts began in June and are expected to be completed by Labor Day. The courts received a new asphalt base layer and were recently resurfaced. The new surface will be lined to include additional doubles courts and markings to accommodate pickleball. The courts also received new protective fencing and electrical and conduit infrastructure to support the future addition of lights.

Lexington Golf & Country Club/Golf Practice Area
The Lexington Golf & Country Club, home to the W&L men’s and women’s golf programs, will be taken offline by the end of August for renovations that will lengthen and improve the course for enhanced collegiate play. The renovations are expected to last until May 2027. In the interim, the university has received a three-year exemption from the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors to construct a temporary driving range, practice green and parking spaces at the 93-acre Peniel Farm located behind the back campus. This area will provide a practice space for the golf teams while the course renovations take place. The range will feature 10-12 tee boxes set just east of the existing house, while the putting green will measure 70 x 100 feet and will include a small sand trap.

Solar Panels at Sydney Lewis Hall
Final installation of new solar panels at Sydney Lewis Hall has been completed. The building has received several planned maintenance projects since May 2023, including the installation of more than 1,000 new, more-efficient solar panels.

Campus Utility Infrastructure
Work on the multi-year low-temperature hot water (LTHW) project launched in June when new pipe was installed along East Denny Circle, connecting Woods Creek Apartments and the Lindley Center for Student Wellness to the LTHW system. The work moves to the front campus this month, as pipe is laid along Washington Street and in the areas of Elrod Commons, Cannan Green, Duchossois Athletics and Recreation Center, Graham Lees Residence Hall and Gaines Residence Hall. Communications specific to the impacts of this project are forthcoming.

For updates on all of the university’s capital projects, please visit the Capital Projects update page on the University Facilities website.