The Stylus

Construction Junction, What's your function? Photo by Annabelle Ombac

New building to open for classes in January 2011

A giant, shiny building has appeared in the heart of George Mason University’s Arlington Campus, between the Original Building and Hazel Hall. Watching the construction over the past two and a half years has left many students wondering if they will ever actually step foot in this state-of-the-art facility. For students taking classes in the spring of 2011 or after, the answer is yes.

The seven-story building, known as Founders Hall, will open for classes in January 2011 and will be the new home of Mason’s School of Public Policy. The building will also contain space for the School of Law.

In addition to 256,000 square feet of office and classroom space, Founders Hall will provide a garage containing 160,000 square feet of much needed parking space. The building will include a new and improved library, bookstore and auditorium, as well as an Einstein Bros. Bagels.

A large public plaza will be located in front of the building and will link the campus to the local community. Kathleen Q. Johnson, George Mason University’s assistant vice president for Regional Campuses described the space.

“The new plaza will be a wonderful location for university and Arlington County activities; the county and Virginia Square residents have been active in helping the university to develop the plaza and community spaces and I believe that the experience has been highly rewarding for all involved,” said Johnson.

According to Tom Calhoun, vice president of Facilities, the project has now reached a cost of approximately $85 million.

Founders Hall is nearly 85 percent complete and is expected to be ready for occupancy around November. Once complete, some units will begin moving from the various buildings of the Arlington Campus to their new space in Founders Hall, though classes will not be held in the building until Spring 2011.

The occupancy of Founders Hall will impact all of the existing buildings of the Arlington Campus. As units move into the new building, some units in the other buildings will be shifted. Units currently in the Original Building that are not moving into Founders Hall will relocate to the Truland Building on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Kirkwood Road.

The university plans to decommission the Original Building in an effort to move toward the final phase of a three-part plan for developing the Arlington Campus.

The first phase, Hazel Hall, which houses the School of Law, was completed in 1998. Founders Hall is the second phase. The third phase includes the construction of a new 750,000-square-foot building on the site currently occupied by the Original Building.

Sean Joyce,  Stylus Correspondent