Duke Trustees Approve New Parking Garage Near Bryan Center
DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke University Board of Trustees on Friday gave final approval for the construction of a new 550-space parking garage that will create more spaces for people visiting the Bryan University Center, Duke Chapel and Page Auditorium.
The garage, which will cost about $10 million, will be located off Science Drive, near the Bryan Center on Duke's West Campus. The slope of the site will permit construction of a multi-level garage in which only the top one or two levels will be visible from the north side, planners said.
The project, unveiled last fall, also calls for an adjacent three-story building to house the retail stores now located in the Bryan Center and to provide space for offices now in the West Union Building. The building will be discussed at a future meeting of the trustees.
The new garage will provide replacement parking spaces for those that will be lost by the closing of the Divinity School parking lot to make way for new engineering buildings and a Divinity School expansion. The garage also creates additional spaces for employees and visitors who need access to the center of campus.
The Campus Master Plan approved in 2000 by the board outlines a need to construct new parking garages rather than continuing to build surface lots. Construction of the garage is set to begin this spring.
In related action, the board:
- Authorized the renovation of several student residence buildings in Kilgo Quadrangle on West Campus. The improvements, estimated to cost $10 million, include the addition of air conditioning, sprinklers and an elevator; making bathrooms accessible for disabled people; upgrading the quad's electrical and telecommunications infrastructure, and enhancing the quad's social spaces.
- Authorized the construction of a new 4,500-square-foot building next to the Undergraduate Admissions Office that will be used for presentations to prospective students as well as special events. The project is estimated to cost $2 million.