By Brian McNeill

As Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health prepare for two major construction projects – a new VCU School of Dentistry building and a proposed VCU Health inpatient tower – a number of important changes will soon get underway on the MCV Campus.

“It is an incredibly exciting time for VCU with so many transformative new construction projects on the horizon,” said Rich Sliwoski, associate vice president of Facilities Management. “We acknowledge that the logistics of construction – including temporary relocations and relocated services – present short-term hurdles, and we are profoundly grateful for our community’s adaptability and partnership. Transformation like this takes a team effort, and together, we are building a legacy that will have a profound and positive impact for years to come.”

Hunton Student Center

The Hunton Student Center, 1110 E. Broad St., closed in May, and certain offices and resources relocated in mid-July to the VMI Building, 1000 E. Marshall St. Now in the VMI Building are the Division of Student Affairs’ Graduate and Professional Student Initiatives and VCU Career Services’ Suit Yourself Closet.

Health Sciences Library

Moving into Hunton’s current space during the upcoming academic year will be the Health Sciences Library. It is relocating from 509 N. 12th St. to accommodate a proposed new VCU Health inpatient tower that is critically needed to significantly increase VCU Health’s capacity to serve patients and improve the care environment.

Hunton’s current space will be renovated to provide the temporarily relocated Health Sciences Library with student learning and collaboration spaces, as well as workspace for library staff. The first floor will feature study space and a makerspace, with additional study space on the second and third floors. Discussions about a permanent location for the Health Sciences Library are underway.

In early 2027, most of the library’s print materials will move to storage at the State Records Center, and there will be a period when they are unavailable while being processed into offsite storage. During this time, these low-use print materials may be requested through interlibrary loans. After processing is complete, items can be requested online and delivered to Cabell Library or the Health Sciences Library. Frequently used materials will remain onsite at Hunton.

Throughout the moving process, all VCU Libraries’ digital resources will be available around the clock for use in classrooms and clinical settings. Reference and research consultation and instruction will be offered throughout the transition.

A firm timeline for the Health Sciences Library’s renovation has not yet been set, though the current location on North 12th Street is expected to close in spring 2027 for four to six weeks to move materials, furnishings and staff to Hunton. The library is expected to be fully operational at Hunton by summer 2027.

For more details on the Health Sciences Library move, visit here.

Jonah L. Larrick Student Center

In December, the MCV Campus Recreation Center, an indoor recreation facility located in the Jonah L. Larrick Student Center, will temporarily close. 

Larrick is slated for demolition in spring 2027 because it will be the site of a five-story, 312,000-square-foot School of Dentistry building that will include classrooms, academic offices, cutting-edge academic laboratories, and clinics for predoctoral, dental hygiene and specialty dentistry programs, aligning with modern practices in dental education. Funding for the School of Dentistry building was included in the 2027-29 state budget approved in late June by the General Assembly and Gov. Abigail Spanberger. For more details on the new School of Dentistry building, visit here.

The MCV Campus Recreation Center will move to 610 N. 10th St., the current site of the MCV Campus Bookstore. The recreation center is planned to reopen in summer 2027. During the spring semester while the new RecWell space is being renovated, no recreation services will be available on the MCV Campus. However, students will continue to have access to the Cary Street Gym on the Monroe Park Campus. 

The new MCV Campus fitness center will have approximately 3,000 square feet and will feature cardio and weight equipment, a functional fitness space and cabana-style restrooms and showers. Programmatically, RecWell will continue to offer its popular personal training and small group training at this location.

RecWell will communicate directly with members to provide additional information about the closure, answer questions and address concerns about how it will impact individual members.

A new bookstore location and timeline have yet to be determined. The Barnes and Noble @ VCU, located on the Monroe Park Campus at 1111 W. Broad St., will continue to be available to students on both campuses. 

VCU offers a point-to-point shuttle service, RamsXpress, that provides members of the VCU community with direct transportation between campuses, with stops at central locations. The shuttle runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and allows the VCU community to travel between campuses within 10 to 15 minutes. Its stops are not duplicative of current GRTC service locations.

Also as a result of Larrick’s planned demolition, Jonah’s Express grab-and-go dining and Starbucks will close in spring 2027. VCU is currently exploring food options to continue serving MCV Campus students during the interim. 

For MCV Campus students who have questions about the upcoming changes, they are encouraged to reach out to the Division of Student Affairs. The Division of Student Affairs cares very much about students and their experience on the MCV Campus and is committed to helping support them during their time at VCU. Feel free to send any questions to us at dsa@vcu.edu.

VCU will continue to provide updates on these changes and projects as more information becomes available. For more information, visit this FAQ.

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