Spring Update on Campus Construction Projects New Williams School construction and Elrod Commons Phase 2 renovations both remain on schedule, while the new Lindley Center for Student Wellness will break ground soon.

By Brian Laubscher
April 3, 2024

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Washington and Lee University continues to make progress on several campus construction projects in support of the campus master plan that was approved by the Board of Trustees in October 2021.

Below is an update on the progress of various projects around campus.

Dining Venue Renovations – John W. Elrod Commons
The second phase of the dining renovations to the John W. Elrod Commons involves an expansion of the Marketplace dining facility which will provide additional indoor and outdoor seating for the Marketplace and Café 77. Construction on this phase began in October with the inclusion of concrete footers and the wall that frames the exterior of the addition. The foundation work is now complete and the steel framing for the extension is now in place. The exterior “skin” of the building will take shape in the next few weeks, as will the reconstruction of the Cohen Family Amphitheater. Work on the interior of the Commons expansion has begun, and the facility is set to open for Fall Term 2024.

New Williams School Building
Similar to the Marketplace expansion, construction of the new Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics continues to progress on schedule with an expected completion date in advance of Fall Term 2025. The early portion of the project involved the demolition of Baker and Davis Halls, with additional work to remove excess rock in the construction area. This work is now complete, as is the utility work necessary to connect the new facility to the campus utility grid. The new building’s foundation has been completed and concrete floor slabs have been poured. Erection of the steel framing that will form the structure’s exterior shell is ongoing, with the exterior framing expected to be finished mid-summer. Campus community members should begin to see the exterior skin of the building take shape this fall.

Wilson Field
Beginning mid-May 2024, Wilson Field will receive updates to the competition surfaces. The renovation will replace the existing Field Turf ® playing surface that was installed in 2011 and has outlived the recommended 10-year lifespan. Vertex-CORE 2.5” synthetic turf will be installed to cover the 82,863-square-foot playing surface. New drains and drain covers surrounding the field will also be replaced, while the track surrounding the field will receive its first resurfacing since it was installed during the original construction in 2008. The university will use Beynon® BSS 1000 for the new track surface. The project is expected to be completed by mid-September 2024.

Sydney Lewis Hall Roof and Exterior Maintenance
Maintenance to the exterior of Sydney Lewis Hall began in May 2023 with repairs to the exterior brickwork, a replacement of the roof and landscaping improvements. This work has been completed since our last update in December.

Lindley Center for Student Wellness
Construction on the new Lindley Center for Student Wellness will begin the first week of April and is expected to be completed for the start of Fall Term 2025. The 14,600-square-foot facility, named in remembrance of former pediatrician Lindley Spaht Dodson ’99, who passed away in 2021, will serve as the new home of the Student Health Center and University Counseling Services. The building will be constructed on the hillside located between the lower tennis courts and the steps that lead from the Woods Creek Apartments to Sydney Lewis Hall. The facility will feature nine examination rooms, six overnight observation rooms, a group therapy room, and 11 counseling offices to provide top-notch health care for W&L undergraduate and law students.

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