The Massachusetts College of Art and Design will begin construction on a 21-story dormitory on Huntington Avenue this spring, which will include housing for more than 400 students, a dining area and a health center.
The building, which is expected to cost $61 million, will move hundreds of students out of area neighborhoods and onto campus, and allow MassArt to guarantee all first- and second-year students housing.
“We are fulfilling the wishes of the community and students,” said Kurt Steinberg, vice president of administration and finance. “There have been studies that say this is what parents need to hear for a college to be competitive. We have a high retention rate, but this is going to help us feel more comfortable.”
The project is being made possible during a down economy in part because the school is collaborating with two area colleges, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Wentworth Institute of Technology, said Steinberg.
“The development of this residence hall demonstrates what can be accomplished when colleges work together,” said Kay Sloan, president of MassArt, in a statement. “By partnering with MCPHS and Wentworth, we will provide students of all three institutions with a range of services none of us could provide alone.”
