By JOHN LOWE
The Daily Athenaeum
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As all of West Virginia University’s residence halls closed on Saturday, one of the oldest closed for good.
Arnold Hall and Apartments, which opened in 1957 as an all-women’s dorm, closed its doors permanently after 60 years and over 35,000 residents.
(Submitted photo)
To make up for the closure, the university will utilize the top seven floors of University Place’s south tower for student housing and rename it Seneca Hall.
Seneca Hall will be the most expensive dorm on campus. It will add between $4,100 and $4,250 to student tuition costs per semester to live there.
Part of the decision to inhabit University Place rather than update Arnold Hall came from the current low occupancy at University Place. According to WVU vice president for legal, government and entrepreneurial engagement Rob Alsop, only 46% of University Place had been rented in 2016-17. Because of this, the two-year-old complex lost $2.2 million in the 2016 fiscal year.
While Arnold Hall was not the only dorm among the cheapest options for incoming students, it does limit the amount of cheaper options to Towers as well as Boreman and Dadisman Halls.
“Housing is not about housing,” said WVU President E. Gordon Gee when the resolution was passed. “We have made a wonderful decision We were given a challenge, and we turned the challenge into an opportunity. I am excited about this.”
The fate of the site of Arnold Hall is still unknown. Many believe that it will be demolished and turned into green space.
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