University of Connecticut will expand Waterbury campus by leasing downtown facility

The University of Connecticut is planning to expand its Waterbury campus by leasing 26,300 square feet of space in a historic building adjacent to the campus.

The Waterbury Republican-American reports that the space is in a six-story building known as Odd Fellows Hall, which was built in 1895. The city seized the building in 2013 from a New York investor because of unpaid taxes and utility fees.

Renovations to the building must be completed before the lease is finalized with the university, which will make it ready for occupancy.

Fumiko Hoeft, director of UConn Waterbury, said she expects the university will occupy the building in fall 2025.

"The new space will be equipped with the latest teaching and research infrastructure and offer a great home for UConn Waterbury to expand and strengthen these programs and many initiatives that are underway," she said.

The building will have active-learning instructional space, clinical and research dry and wet laboratories, maker space, an incubator/venture studio, and clinical simulation and learning laboratories, according to the university.