{"id":7727,"date":"2018-07-10T10:45:29","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T14:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7727"},"modified":"2024-07-24T16:42:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T20:42:19","slug":"the-end-of-an-era-the-student-apartments-1977-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7727","title":{"rendered":"The End of an Era: The Student Apartments, 1977-2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Student Apartments, ca. 1981. George Mason University photograph collection, R0120. Box 21, Folder 15<\/p><\/div>\n

This summer one of George Mason University’s most recognizable landmarks will disappear.<\/p>\n

Opening in October of 1977, the Student Apartments were George Mason University’s first on-campus housing. Before then, a Mason student had few choices for housing: either live at home, rent a room, an apartment, or another type of living arrangement in Fairfax or the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

George Mason’s enrollment increased steadily at a rate of approximately 35% a year during the mid- to late-1960s.\u00a0 By the 1970s student demands for on-campus housing were beginning to grow at Mason, then well-recognized as a commuter college.<\/p>\n

After Mason became independent\u00a0in 1972, the housing debate began in earnest. University administrators first met in October\u00a01973 to begin conversations on whether housing was feasible and how it might be financed. Lutrelle Parker, chairman of the Board of Visitors\u2019 Long-Range Land Use Committee, declared: \u201cMy own philosophy is that a great university should have diversity and needs student housing.\u201d\u00a0Others, like university patriarch\u00a0C. Harrison Mann, Jr., would cite the increase in operating costs for both the state and the students and smaller budget allocations as deterrents to construction. The discussion regarding housing at George Mason would carry on for an additional 2 years.<\/p>\n

By 1976 the University had consented to the construction of student housing, a plan was drawn for nine three-story apartments to house 497 students, and ground was broken that March.\u00a0 The two-, four-, and six-person apartments were designed to meet the need for housing that faced many commuter students at the time.\u00a0 The university had actually appealed to the local community to reach out to the 30% – 40% of the student body who struggled to find inexpensive housing during a time of economic distress and in an area with limited public transportation.\u00a0\u00a0 Apartment spaces were reserved for exchange students, athletes, minority students, and\u00a0students with physical disabilities. The remaining spaces were open for out-of-state and commuter students. The apartments were to be completed by the beginning of the 1977 school year. \u00a0Wilson Sherman, the contractor, citing \u201cabnormally bad ground conditions, bad weather, [and] the substantial number of changes and supply problems\u201d among the unexpected delays, could not finish construction on time. \u00a0The delay was more than just problematic for the construction company.\u00a0 The University had already promised housing for a number of students and had collected money from them.<\/p>\n

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Student Apartments under construction, September 1976, George Mason University Broadside photograph collection, R0135. Box 13, Page 15.<\/p><\/div>\n

These delays sent students already assigned to new dorm rooms instead to hotel rooms on Route 50, three miles north of campus.\u00a0 Moving into a hotel was one of three options given to students whose dorms were not finished. Students could also receive a full refund or stay at home until the completion and receive a partial refund or prorated rent.<\/p>\n

While Dr. Robert C. Krug, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the time, recalled that the students had a terrific time living in the hotels (they enjoyed throwing parties), the novelty soon wore off for many of them.\u00a0 Students complained because they had no way to cook and were exceeding their budgets by having to eat out for every meal.\u00a0 They wanted to move into rooms with kitchenettes, but those weren\u2019t available at the hotels until after Labor Day. This problem was temporarily relieved in mid-September as students voluntarily \u201ctripled-up\u201d in the newly-available kitchenettes to cut down on costs, but feelings of isolation from the campus still remained.<\/p>\n

The university had been running free shuttle buses back and forth to the campus from the Quality Inn and Breezeway Motel every hour, and in response to student requests, weekend shuttles were offered as well so that the \u201cinmates,\u201d as the hotel-bound called themselves, could attend events and parties on campus.\u00a0\u00a0The weekday shuttles cost the university about $1500 alone.\u00a0 There were approximately 105 students living in the hotels, so the bill for those rooms also fell to the university, as well as long-distance phone calls made by the students in the hotels and the overtime hours necessary to complete construction. George Mason withheld ten percent from each contractor\u2019s payment to offset its costs. The University\u2019s losses were then deducted from the final payment to Sherman.<\/p>\n

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Sign outside of the Quality Inn room in which a George Mason student is living reads: “George Mason Slept Here”. Broadside<\/em>, Volume 20, Number 4, September 19, 1977. Broadside<\/em> Newspapers, Box 12.<\/p><\/div>\n

Five of the nine apartment-style buildings were opened on October 15, 1977, and residents were finally able to move in, though some assignments were temporary pending the completion of the other four units.\u00a0\u00a0Though the apartments still had bugs to be worked out\u2014the lights went out the first night and many students had trouble with the plumbing\u2014the students were happy to finally be moved in and to have a college experience in which they interacted with one another outside of class.<\/p>\n

While the delay caused a great deal of stress for both the administration and the students, the $4.15 million apartments ushered in a new era for the university.\u00a0 The Student Apartments would be the only on-campus housing at George Mason University until 1981, with the construction of Commonwealth and Dominion Halls.<\/p>\n

Now, let’s flash forward forty-one years!<\/p>\n

The University has embarked upon an extensive makeover for the center of the Fairfax Campus called the Campus Core Project. This undertaking will dramatically change the center of the campus by demolishing and rebuilding Robinson Hall A and B and transforming Wilkins Plaza into a larger, more vibrant gathering place for the University Community. The Student Apartments, located just behind the massive construction project, were closed at the end of the Spring 2018 semester. They are currently in the process of being demolished. Some of the space they once occupied will be used as a project staging area throughout the Campus Core Project.<\/p>\n

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Demolition of Student Apartments, July 9, 2018. Photograph by Special Collections Research Center Staff.<\/p><\/div>\n

The placement of the Student Apartments was problematic from the beginning. Built several years before the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) of 1988, the complex\u00a0was located inside what would later be designated a Resource Protected Area (RPA). RPAs,\u00a0as defined by the CBPA,\u00a0 are corridors of environmentally sensitive land that lie alongside or near the shorelines of streams, rivers and other waterways which drain into the Potomac River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. In their natural condition, RPAs protect water quality, reduce the volume of and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff, prevent erosion, and perform other important biological and ecological functions.<\/p>\n

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Student Apartments during demolition, July 6, 2018. Photograph by Special Collections Research Center Staff.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Student Apartments in 1979. George Mason University photograph collection #R0120. Box 13, Folder 9.<\/p><\/div>\n

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By eliminating the Apartments the university will be in a better position to protect the small stream that runs alongside the site, and it will be able to make environmentally responsible decisions regarding\u00a0future use of this area. It will be converted to open space\/green area after the project, and no building construction can be expected for the site in the next several years.<\/p>\n

Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media at our\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/span>,\u00a0Instagram<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This summer one of George Mason University’s most recognizable landmarks will disappear. Opening in October of 1977, the Student Apartments were George Mason University’s first on-campus housing. Before then, a Mason student had few choices for housing: either live at home, rent a room, an apartment, or another type of living arrangement in Fairfax or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,272,3],"tags":[635,659,660,388],"class_list":["post-7727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-gmu-fairfax-campus","category-news","tag-fairfax-campus","tag-george-mason-university-student-apartments","tag-gmu-housing","tag-gmuhistory"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-20D","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10061,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10061","url_meta":{"origin":7727,"position":0},"title":"We Are Mason: A Student History","author":"Bob Vay","date":"March 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Our university celebrates its 50th Anniversary as an independent institution this year. 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She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/2-10-affirmative-action.jpg?fit=913%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7604,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7604","url_meta":{"origin":7727,"position":3},"title":"New Exhibit in SCRC First Class: Mason ’68 and Beyond","author":"Bob Vay","date":"June 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On June 9, 1968 George Mason College of the University of Virginia awarded its first baccalaureate degrees to 52 candidates. Prior to that George Mason, then part of the University of Virginia's system of branch\u00a0 colleges, awarded only a two-year associate degree.\u00a0 Attendees were encouraged to complete their degree at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/First-ClassMason68.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9145,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9145","url_meta":{"origin":7727,"position":4},"title":"Presidents Series: 1996 \u2013 2012 \u2013 Alan G. Merten","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"April 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Lana Mason, Processing Student Assistant. Lana has an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Piedmont Virginia Community College. She is currently studying Art History at George Mason University. Lana was the recipient of the University Libraries Student Assistant Scholarship for the 2018-19 academic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1-Black-History-Concert.png?fit=1091%2C711&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10152,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10152","url_meta":{"origin":7727,"position":5},"title":"Establishing Our Identity: George Mason’s Fairfax Campus","author":"Bob Vay","date":"June 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is part of a four-part series detailing the history of George Mason University from the student perspective. Our initial post, Before We Became George Mason University: Our First Campus at Bailey's Crossroads, can be read here: https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10138 In August 1964 George Mason College moved from Bailey\u2019s Crossroads to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/patriot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7727"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7764,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7727\/revisions\/7764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}