Shuttered college campus in Oakland, Calif., will be converted to single-family housing
Highlights
- The project consists of 125 homes around the campus quad and 40 larger hillside homes.
- Landmarks like the chapel and bell tower will be repurposed as a library and communal spaces.
- The existing theater, built in 1993, will serve as a hub for cultural and enrichment activities.
Nearly three years after Holy Names University in Oakland, California, shut down amid declining enrollment and rising costs, the 60-acre campus is set to be converted to housing.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the company that bought the campus in 2023 for $65 million has filed an application to build 165 single-family homes on the property while retaining the university’s 400-seat theater, as well as a chapel and belltower.
Holy Names was a Catholic college that shut down in 2023 in the face of shrinking enrollment and financial difficulties. Los Angeles-based BH Properties purchased the campus and tried without success to attract another educational institution to take over the property.
"We believe in Oakland and are committed to transforming the former Holy Names campus into a win for the property, community and the city," said Jim Brooks, president of BH Properties.
About half of the 60-acre property will be preserved as open space, with hiking trails and wooded areas.
In early designs, the existing campus footprint will be transformed into a clustered residential village surrounding the McClean Chapel and quad, with about 125 homes between 1,800 and 2,500 square feet. The steeper hillside will be more sparsely developed with about 40 larger homes, likely 2,500 to 3,000 square feet.
The proposal calls for the bell tower and chapel to be preserved as a library and communal space. The campus quad remains as a central gathering place. The performing arts theater, which was built in 1993, is envisioned as a hub for culture and enrichment.