A residence hall at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond has been closed since late 2021, but now is due for a $70 million renovation.
Richmond BizSense reports that the university's Board of Visitors has added a $70 million renovation of Johnson Hall, to the university's six-year capital improvement plan .
The inclusion of Johnson Hall to the plan comes about a year and half after the university closed the 12-story freshman housing site because of concerns about mold in the building.
University spokesman Mike Porter says the university hopes students will be back in the building by the fall 2026 semester, but a move-in date hasn’t been officially set.
The renovation will add amenities such as improved study and common areas. About 80 beds will be eliminated to free up space for those amenities, VCU Residential Life and Housing Director Gavin Roark said.
"When the building closed, we were at around a 518-bed count," Roark says. A full renovation will actually bring that count down probably closer to 440.
The 105,000-square-foot building was built in 1915.
In November 2021, VCU announced that high levels of mold spores had been detected in Johnson Hall and shuttered the building. More than 400 students were moved out of the building.
