3 October 2023
Macalester College is in the early stages of planning a new on-campus dormitory and welcome center at Grand Avenue and Macalester Street in St. Paul.
About half the college’s 2,200 students live on campus, mostly during their first and sophomore years, said spokesman Joe Linstroth, but the college has been unable to provide housing for most students beyond that. Given the high cost of off-campus housing, many comparable colleges around the nation offer on-campus housing all four years.
“Our housing options are more limited, and our dorms are old,” Linstroth said.
The Macalester Board of Trustees approved a comprehensive campus plan within the last year that includes building a new residence hall and welcome center on land the college already owns. The overall number of students that could be accommodated in a new dorm has not been disclosed.
“We are still in the very early stages of discerning what the scope of any project could be, as well as the limitations, in order to determine what is possible,” Linstroth said.
The St. Paul City Council recently approved vacating a small section of alleyway coming off of Grand Avenue between Macalester Street and Cambridge Street. Linstroth said the new dorm and welcome center will allow the college to showcase the latest “green infrastructure,” or environmentally-sustainable design. More details may be tentatively available by the end of the year, after which there will be opportunities for nearby residents, business owners and city officials to help shape the final design, he said.
One goal not in sight is increasing the overall size of the student body.
“We do not plan to increase enrollment,” Linstroth said.
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