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The Lower Campus

The revitalization of Lower Campus will reshape student life, as upper-level students study and socialize together in an intentional community of scholars and future leaders.

The Lower Campus project will rejuvenate the physical spaces along Broad and College streets. This effort reimagines the spaces in which juniors and seniors live and interact. It promises a more equitable residential experience across all four years — one that fosters connections between undergraduates of all interests and backgrounds. It will contribute to our students’ mental, physical, and personal wellness while helping them transition to post-college life.

In addition to new and renovated housing, the Lower Campus Plan will build a social center and two “studies” — distinctive, singular buildings where students can study and gather outside of their residential units.
Broad Street will be improved with an enhanced street facade, more housing, less visible parking, and new courtyards with interconnecting pathways.
The Lower Campus Plan thoughtfully considers how pedestrians move between lower campus, Colgate’s athletics facilities, and the upper campus.

Revitalizing the Lower Campus

The Lower Campus project will provide a variety of housing options designed to integrate the Lower Campus with Colgate’s main campus.

New Residential Construction
With a focus on greater equity in amenities, new construction will provide three-, four-, and five-bed units, situated in townhouses and the upper floors of the social center. A greater number of single-bedroom options will be available for students in their senior year.

Here, students will build community in smaller, intentional groups.

Broad Street Renewal
The renovation of the 17 existing houses along Broad Street will include the fraternities and sororities, which play a significant role in lower campus residential life. Many of the Broad Street houses include historic features worth preserving during renovations in order to maintain their unique character.

The social center will be the focal space of the revitalized Broad Street neighborhood. Modeled after similar dining and social spaces at campuses around the country, the social center will be designed to bring students together for a wide range of activities and events, from daily dining to trivia nights, game watches, live music, and more.

The main floor of the social center will feature a café, fireside gathering space, performance venue, and laundry facilities. Housing for 41 students — mostly in singles — will be found on the second and third floors.

North of College Street, where Taylor Lake becomes Payne Brook, we will make a significant investment in infrastructure to direct water, prevent and mitigate flooding, and better support new and existing buildings in Lower Campus. This creates an opportunity to develop inviting gathering places, where pedestrians move between Lower Campus, Colgate’s athletics facilities, and the upper campus. Curved pathways, trees and shrubbery, and a fire pit will form a beautiful park that complements the abundant green spaces on the opposite side of Broad Street.

Directly east of the social center, enhanced green space will create a more inviting entry to the new buildings of Lower Campus. It will pull pedestrians from Willow Path, through a lawn designed for casual gatherings and outdoor social space.