NCSU - Main Campus

[DanRNC]

I have decided to start a thread on NCSU as development plans over there seem rather scant or at least poorly promoted/advertised. The school has recently finished a $1 billion capital campaign and received a substantial amount of money from the higher education bond package however development at NCSU seems nonexistent sans Centennial Campus-most of those projects have been from state appropriations (namely the engineering school complex). Do any State alumni have any insight as to whats going on over there?

[RaleighRob]

Do any State alumni have any insight as to whats going on over there?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Even as a full-time student there, I never had a clue of all the crap that was going on down on Centennial Campus.

As far as main campus goes, some real good things have happened in the past half a decade....the renovations of the Clark Zoology building is amazing, for example. (The new high tech labs there are tons better than anything I had while there in the late 90s.)

[cophead567]

off the top of my head:

- Jordan hall expansion should be finished and running by this summer, you can see the progress off western

- Carmichael gym expansion should be done by next summer

- The new first-year college building on cates should be ready for the fall semester

- Renovation on Riddick Hall is moving slowly, not sure about that

- Withers Hall renovation should be done now

- Daniels Hall is always being renovated, maybe now they'll close it down so they can finish it

- Last i saw they were tearing up parts of the old riddick stadium parking lot to start building the new math department building (math dept. right?)

- random walkways are being re-done including adding a ramp next to the bookstore

thats really just a quick list with no research. Centennial always seemed like a mystery; buildings would always just appear. only thing i know is that there are plans for 2 more engineering buildings (EB 3 & 4) to finish off the quad but funding for them isn't quite there yet. someone correct me if i'm wrong.

[ChiefJoJo]

I think most of the construction was for renovationg old bldgs on main campus. There just isn't a whole lot of room for new construction on main campus anymore, so ... the College of Engineering is moving to Centennial Campus, so the old bldgs on main campus (Riddick, Mann, Broughton, Daniels, etc) will be, are or have been renovated for other school uses... sciences, maybe humanities, etc.

Off the top of my head, I can recall NCSU renovating Reynolds, expanding the deck, renovation Nelson Hall, building Wolf Village at Gorman/Western, building a new track, softball, soccer complex, and stream restoration, and extending Varsity Dr across Western to Gorman.

Here's a good map of State Campus... has all the bldgs with dates of construction, renovation, etc, even some that i haven't seen b4.

[RaleighRob]

^ Yes. NCSU has a long tradition of taking old Engineering buildings and labs and giving them out as hand-me-downs to Chemistry and Biology labs.

Helps remind everyone on who's important in their eyes.

[pack-man]

i still am having a hard time understanding why they tore down old Riddick stadium. Now there is just a grass field. I wonder if there are any plans to build a parking deck in this area. The school sure could use another deck.

[orulz]

the old Riddick stadium was absolutely awful as office space. There's a plan to build a whole new quad in the area that used to be a parking lot. I think there wasn't much parking space planned for the area, but that may change since the TTA plan has been called into question. The classroom space to go on this quad will serve as a replacement space for Harrelson, so in the coming decades, that marginally functional, poorly accessible, and impossibly expensive to upfit building can be demolished, and its very prominent spot on the Brickyard redeveloped.

[soccer1guy_99]

The Riddick stadium grass field is actually gone now. Construction has started on the new statistics building that is replacing the old stadium. Here is a web cam showing construction on the building, http://ncsu-ms.clancytheys.com/live.html There is also a page that shows the construction projects on campus that were funded by the bonds. http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/constructio...ojlist-alph.htm

[DPK]

I think there wasn't much parking space planned for the area, but that may change since the TTA plan has been called into question.

Actually a deck is/was planned for the area. Visible on the master plan for Main Campus:

http://www.ncsu.edu/facilities/maps_planni...004-12-2005.pdf

It's the vertical 3 column looking thing to the West of Brooks Hall.

[cophead567]

^ is that a mono-rail i see?

[Jones_]

^ is that a mono-rail i see?

It shows the Hillsborough st roundabouts too....and a parking deck beside North Hall.

[frey]

Leazar Hall has just been renovated and the Kamphoefner auditorium is being renovate/expanded/devouring "the pit."

[jumboman]

Leazar Hall has just been renovated and the Kamphoefner auditorium is being renovate/expanded/devouring "the pit."

I think the pit being devoured is only temporary while Kamphoefner is being renovated.

I was most surprised by the buildings (new dorms?) on lee field between Lee Hall and the baseball field, as well as the huge parking deck thats going to be over there too. A parking deck next to North Hall would not only help the university but also businesses on Hillsborough St. since it could be open for general use after 5pm maybe?

I like the plan. Just glad I won't have to be in school when they are doing all this (and the renovation of Talley), that would be such a pain.

[ChiefJoJo]

Here's another cool page with links to time lapse construction videos.

[frey]

Maybe I'm confusing old prodjects with the real plans? If the auditorium isn't devouring the pit, then I assume it will be devouring the classroom next door or part of the ramped entrace?

[ncwebguy]

The Campus Map link was a project I did while taking a web communications class my first senior year.

It is cool to see the university still uses it! It is a lot better than my version, but a lot of the ideas (pictures of buildings, links to departments in the building, etc. survived.

[jcoop]

-renovation on the 1911 building has just begun, they are putting up the fence and it appears to have already been gutted out.

-the new math and statistics building will begin construction shortly...they are currently finishing all the underground utility work. there is still a parking deck planned for behind this building along with the renovation of that tunnel and making it handicap accessible, maybe like the free expression tunnel. also, harrelson hall will be phased out floor by floor as other classroom space becomes available and it will eventually be torn down

-the company hired to work with talley student center and the bookstore is completely a review right now to decide whether to tear down and build new or just renovate

-the softball and track complex is underway, but because of weather the softball stadium will not be ready until the 2008 season

-first year college building is almost done, they are putting down the bricks for the sidewalk in front of it

-carmichael gym expansion should be nearing completion around the summer I think...?

-east wing of DH Hill library is about ready to reopen after renovation

-jordan hall addition on western should be ready to open soon as well

again, by no means a comprehensive list, just what I can think of from walking by it all the time. tons of other renovations are being done right now as well.

[RaleighRob]

-the company hired to work with talley student center and the bookstore is completely a review right now to decide whether to tear down and build new or just renovate

For real?? Good grief. Those buildings aren't *that* old...I can't imagine needing to tear them down. They're good solid buildings. They aren't architecturally pretty or anything, but tearing them down seems to me an utter waste.

Now Harrelson...they can tear that one down...it's in much worse shape.

[ChiefJoJo]

While they are at it, NCSU should tear down North Hall and rebuild with a nice mixed use property with street retail and plenty of parking (deck).

[Jones_]

While they are at it, NCSU should tear down North Hall and rebuild with a nice mixed use property with street retail and plenty of parking (deck).

Was just thinking that this weekend actually....

[pack-man]

There have been talks about North Hall going away and some type of development replacing it. The decision hasn't been made because North still serves as a primary dorm, until they can add some new ones. I believe they are adding dorms to centennial campus finally.

[ncwebguy]

I know Avent Ferry Complex was added after North, and Wood (formerly South) Residence Hall was added around the same time as North, if not later. Did the apartments near Western/Gorman not add enough on campus housing??? Dorms on Centennial with 7 am - midnight Wolfline access would be good for upperclassmen and grad students.

A rennovation (or redevlopment) of the North Hall block would fit in well with the roundabouts proposed near the bell tower... Hopefully the university will jump at the opportunity. If Chancellor Fox stayed, I have a feeling we would see movement on this already. But the crowd that ran her out are the same ones who have held back the positive changes NCSU could make.

[jcoop]

Even if North Hall were to stay, I'd like to see a deck built instead of that surface lot right next to it. But, I only want this if they will wrap it with street level retail and if they really want to make me happy, it could be built with apartments too like a place called "wesley place" in nashville right across the street from vanderbilt. It's basically the same type of location for each school and the retail is beneficial as well as most of the apartment residents are students and then garage provides public parking at night and on weekends. A few more good little restaraunts as well as some kind of drug store (CVS, walgreens, kerr drugs...something to provide things that a student might need to run across from campus and pick up there)

and while they are at it, put an armadillo grill near campus somewhere...if anyone has ever eaten there, you know it's good (there is one on glenwood now). The owners are actually vandy grads and they basically copied the idea from this great vandy hangout that is located right next to this wesley place garage/apartments I was talking about. see how everything ties back together

[ChiefJoJo]

Update with pics... I did a little walking tour on Sat around NCSU. I hadn't been to the central campus in a while--they really have done a lot to upgrade the campus--here's a couple starting from Pullen Park...

From Pullen Park looking under Pullen to new greenway trail by NCSU:

New Softball Stadium U/C (you can see where they did a stream restoration on Rocky Branch Creek):

New Track/Soccer Stadium U/C:

I didn't take a picture of it, but the free-expression tunnel has been retrofitted for handicapped access--they really opened the whole approach walkway on either side. Sure some bldgs look unchaged but you can tell many have been renovated.

When I walked up to Hillsborough for lunch, it struck me just how cool of an campus/area this could be if...

H-St project was built out (both phases to Shepard), parking and new street design encouraged NCSU/Stanhope redevelopment and other new businesses, maybe a trolley from NCSU to GlenSo and DT, Dix Park just a short walk down the greenway via Pullen, regional rail transit to campus, Centennial golf course and additional development there... all of these are advatages that many schools would kill for and they are all either in the works or been planned and I really think they could elevate the stature of NC State tremendously over the coming years.

[pack-man]

we will have to see, remember, these so called "improvements" are being made by the same people that allowed it to be put in the dire condition that it is in now.