Residence hall under construction at Western MIchigan University

Construction has begun on a $110 million residence hall at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that the facility will house first-year students when it opens in August 2026.

To make space for the new facility, the university has torn down the Harrison/Stinson and Eldridge/Fox residence halls. The halls were constructed in 1965.

The Western Michigan University Board of Trustees has approved an $85 million bond toward the construction of the residence hall. The university will fund the other $25 million, said Barry Olson, associate vice president for Student Affairs.

The building will feature lots of natural light and exposed wood features, Olson said. The dining hall and construction site are flanked by trees in the northwest portion of the university's main campus near Goldsworth Valley Pond.

The building will feature common areas, communal bathrooms with more privacy and other private spaces for students outside their dorm rooms, Olson said.