Madeleine Biondi, Staff Writer
The ONE VCU Master Plan expands major construction projects while largely opting to decommission old buildings rather than repair.
VCU uses the Six-Year Capital Plan, prioritizing capital projects with large-scale construction and substantial funding. Funding for maintenance is state-derived while construction project reserves are sourced from the state, university and public-private partnership, according to the plan’s website.
CoStar, an online real estate company and one of VCU’s notable corporate investors, is working in tandem with the university to create the CoStar Center for the Arts and Innovation as a consolidation of both visual and performing arts. The multidisciplinary building for theatre, music, dance, cinema and the Da Vinci Center aims for use in 2028, according to the VCUArts website.
Brian McNeill, VCU’s Public Relations Director, explains that VCU typically reserves maintenance funds for immediate needs rather than renovation projects.
“An important outcome of long-term master planning is to demolish facilities that are beyond their useful life and construct new,” McNeill said. “Generally, when facilities reach the end of their useful life, the most cost-effective long-term strategy is often to decommission and redevelop rather than continue accumulating deferred maintenance costs on aging infrastructure.”
87 of the 200 buildings owned by VCU are over 100 years old, and often require updating envelopes, structures and HVAC systems. In 2026, the state gave VCU $21.1 million for maintenance, according to McNeill.
The Ginter House and Founder’s Hall are among VCU’s 19th century buildings receiving funds for maintenance, with Founders Hall reaching completion in June, according to the VCU website.
Halle Clark, a fourth-year biology student, said the STEM buildings varied wildly in quality, with high-tech updates in some areas leaving others neglected.
“The newer buildings are definitely made nicer,” Clark said. “The old buildings, they have a charm, but they are harder to do anything in. I don’t know if we need new buildings, per se, but fixing up some of the existing old ones. It’d be great if they could repurpose them.”
Moisture concerns affected Johnson Hall in 2021, resulting in the dorm closing due to the presence of black mold.
Molly Case, the Communications Director at VCU, explains that VCU has since increased their measures which are overseen by both a building manager and five maintenance districts on campus.
“VCU maintains its facilities to prevent mold through routine equipment maintenance, active temperature and humidity controls, and rapid responses to maintenance requests,” Case said.
Johnson Hall is currently being considered for an administrative building, but has not been touched, according to a past report by the CT.
Since then, the closing of Johnson Hall has coupled with VCU’s growing class size of 4500 freshmen, resulting in a need for housing. The West Grace Street Housing Project began as a replacement and expansion of Johnson Hall, with plans for 945 beds available by fall 2028.
Sofia Robinson, a first-year in psychology student, said construction favored STEM, sports and arts, prioritizing hype and modernization.
“They’re not fixing old buildings due to the cost of what it’s gonna cost to fix,” Robinson said. “The STEM buildings are already nice, add a little budget to the older buildings to respect the culture.”
An off-campus athletic village is also in progress, with one of its four phases already in use. Phase one consisted of a soccer field, outdoor track and practice fields, with pre-plans aiming to follow it with a tennis center and indoor field house, according to the VCU website.
Additionally, the Cary Street Gym Aquatics Center reopened on Oct. 5 sporting a new HVAC and lighting system with a repaired pool deck and replastered pool, however removing the slide, according to its website.