Wichita State UniversityWichita State University will close Fairmount Towers residence hall in mid-August, in line with housing consultants’ recommendations and the university’s five-year capital budget plan.
About 300 students who had reserved space in Fairmount Towers for the 2017-18 academic year will be housed in a brand-new apartment complex, The Flats at WSU, at no additional cost to those students.
Eric King, associate vice president for facilities, said: “Fairmount Towers, constructed 53 years ago as a private dormitory, has reached the end of its useful life. The building will be taken out of service and eventually demolished. Its site near the northwest corner of 21st and Hillside will be available for other university uses.”
King noted that a 2015 report from Brailsford & Dunlavey on the student housing market concluded Fairmount Towers should be phased out based on four main factors:
- Operational inefficiencies
- Limited student demand
- Isolated location outside the core of campus
- Facility condition concerns
Tony Vizzini, provost and senior vice president of WSU, said the university has been working for five years to decommission outdated housing and create a more residential, 24-hour campus.
“Replacing Wheatshocker and Brennan Halls with Shocker Hall was the first step in the plan, and it worked beautifully,” Vizzini said.
“The next step has always been to close Fairmount, but there hasn’t been a way to do that without incurring long-term debt,” Vizzini said. “The Flats gives us an opportunity to do that. It is a bonus that students will be able to move into and experience this beautiful new housing complex.”
Apartment configurations in The Flats, ranging from one to four bedrooms, all include one bathroom per bedroom, plus shared kitchen, washer-dryer and living rooms for each of the 112 apartments. All apartments come fully furnished.
The Flats is located near the corner of Mike Oatman Drive and Innovation Boulevard, just south of Eck Stadium. It will open in early August.
University Housing and Residence Life will manage the building, which was developed and constructed by MWCB LLC.