University of Pittsburgh trustees have approved construction of a 420-bed residence hall for freshmen as the Oakland campus continues to see growth in enrollment.
The new residence hall will be built at Fifth and Ruskin avenues, on Pitt-owned space surrounding the Music Building. Construction is expected to begin this summer. It’s anticipated the facility will open fall 2028.
“This project represents a strategic investment in core student infrastructure and is directly aligned with the university’s priorities around student success, retention and well-being,” trustee Jeffrey D. Martchek said on Thursday.
Plans for the residence hall include retail dining, faculty-in-residence space and study areas. It will be Pitt’s first new residence hall since Nordenberg Hall opened in 2013.
The new residence hall will be located in a parking lot around the Music Building, which also border Bellefield Avenue. No buildings will be torn down. Parking leases assigned there will be reassigned elsewhere on campus.
Builders for the new residence hall are PJ Dick, VMDO and Kimmel Architecture. Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer declined to disclose the cost of the new facility.
Pitt will lease three buildings — the Hampton Inn at 3315 Hamlet St., Pennsylvania Apartments at 300 N. Dithridge St. and Wellington Apartments at 245 Melwood Ave. — to meet the increased demand in student housing.
“Despite how helpful those block leases are — and they are helpful — they are not a viable long-term strategy,” said Dwayne Pinkney, Pitt’s chief financial officer. “Our plan is to build and be able to house students on campus in our facilities at which time we’ll be able to move away from the block leases.”
Pinkney said that, starting in fall 2026, incoming students will be guaranteed housing for two years. The guarantee was previously three years.
Pitt received nearly 74,000 applications, a university record, for its Oakland campus this fall, said Chancellor Joan Gabel. The freshman class is anticipated at around 5,000 students. The university’s goal is to enroll 22,000 undergraduate students at the Oakland campus by 2028.
“This is a good challenge for the university to have,” said John Verbanac, chairman of Pitt’s board of trustees. “(It) is an affirmation for the demand for a Pitt education, and our need to continue to accommodate the marketplace and to continue to provide the level of education that has had us buck what many talk about as a national trend and demographic cliffs that exist.”