UNC Trustees Approve Demolition of Carrington Hall; New Designs Revealed
Published by John on
The UNC Board of Trustees took a step closer to the “renewal” of Carrington Hall on campus, as they approved the demolition of the current School of Nursing building and designs for its reconstruction.
Having first been discussed during Wednesday’s Budget, Finance and Infrastructure Committee meeting, the measures were unanimously approved by trustees as part of the consent agenda during the full board’s meeting on Thursday.
Rejuvenation of Carrington Hall, which is located off of Medical Drive and South Columbia Street, has long been a project for the university. The original building was built in 1969 and seeks to not only provide more space, but have upgrade facilities and simulation opportunities for School of Nursing students. The North Carolina General Assembly allocated $45 million for the capital improvement project in 2020 — with some additional funding coming from a $6.8 million private gift made in 2021.
The designs show a bigger building, keeping the current building’s elongated structure with an updated exterior.
Much of UNC’s health sciences campus has already been surrounded by construction fences in recent years. UNC demolished Berryhill Hall, the former School of Medicine home, in order to construct a new Medical Education Building. The facility, named Roper Hall, is right beside Carrington Hall and is nearing completion of construction. In addition to renewing Carrington, there will be other redevelopment efforts in the open space the two buildings share — like new patios, lawn space and sidewalks.
A spokesperson from the university’s media relations department said an alternate location for nursing classes once demolition begins has not yet been finalized.
According to UNC, the goal is to begin demolition and construction of Carrington Hall in fall 2023, once construction is finished on Roper Hall — putting a timeline for opening the updated School of Nursing building around 2025 or 2026.
