The University of Montana is planning construction of a 600-bed residence tower on its Missoula campus.
The Montana Standard reports that the facility would be the largest residence hall on campus. Construction of the estimated $105 million facility is expected to be followed by demolition of three of the university’s oldest residence halls and consideration of redeveloping university apartments.
Plans call for a s170,000-square-foot, seven-story facility, consisting mostly of double bedrooms and some single bedrooms. The university's largest existing residence halls, Jesse and Aber, are 11 stories, 87,950 square feet each with a maximum capacity of 397 beds. The average age of the university's student housing is 66 years. The newest residence hall on campus, Pantzer Hall, opened in 1996.
The new housing will be built on the southwest corner of campus. Construction is expected to begin next summer and be completed in summer 2026.
Once the construction of the residence hall is complete, it would clear the way for demolition of the 70-year-old Craig Hall, the 86-year-old Duniway Hall and the 102-year-old Elrod Hall — a total of 587 beds. The north end of Craig was already partially demolished this year with the construction of an updated cafeteria.
The university has concluded it would be too costly to renovate and modernize the old housing to meet the needs of students and to make them energy-efficient. It decided to prioritize construction of the residence hall after rising enrollment numbers necessitated more first-year housing.
