Salem College will break ground on December 5 for a new residence hall that will be located north of the main campus, at the corner of Church and Cemetery Streets.

Salem’s Board of Trustees recently voted to add new and/or renovated residences at the Academy and College, among several critically important projects, in its Master Campus Plan. New housing for the college is the first project in Salem’s plans for residential expansion. Construction is slated for completion in the late summer of 2015.

This announcement follows three consecutive years of enrollment growth, including the largest incoming class in the history of Salem College (representing a twelve-percent increase).

“We have repurposed many spaces on campus in order to accommodate our record-breaking enrollment,” said President Lorraine Sterritt. “We are delighted with the Board’s authorization to move forward with a new residence. As we contemplate a judicious increase in the size of our undergraduate student body, this will make it possible for more women with the highest potential for success to benefit from a Salem College education.”

The four-floor, 32,000 square-foot rectangular building will provide nearly 90 beds in an apartment-style configuration. Overall cost for the new building is estimated at $5.5 million.

“Authorization to proceed with construction gives us an opportunity to plan for renovation of our existing housing, which includes many historic buildings. We will be able to move students into the new residence while we take other buildings offline for updating,” said Director of Administration Anna Gallimore, who oversaw the construction of the Salem College student center that opened in May 2014.

Salem has engaged Frank L. Blum Construction to develop the residence hall through a design-build agreement. The team also includes CJMW Architecture and Stimmel Associates, PA. This will be Salem’s first apartment-style housing and the first residential construction in nearly 50 years, since the construction of Gramley Residence Hall in 1965.

“As our enrollment grows, Salem will remain strongly committed to a highly residential campus,” said Sterritt. “We believe this is an essential component of a liberal arts education that values rigorous study in natural sciences, the arts, and the humanities in an environment that welcomes women of all backgrounds and experiences and prepares them for careers in a broad range of fields.”

The building will also provide a new gateway that will connect downtown Winston-Salem and Salem’s main campus and extend the visibility of the 243-year-old campus from Business Route 40.

“As the oldest educational institution in North Carolina and the oldest continuously operating institution for women in the country, Salem College is privileged to contribute to the revitalization of the downtown Winston-Salem area. Our new building represents the continuation of nearly 250 years of development, and we look forward to building upon that legacy for future generations of Salem students,” Sterritt added.

The public is invited to attend the ground breaking ceremony, which will take place on Friday, December 5, at 4:00 pm, at the corner of Church and Cemetery Streets.