Villanova Reducing Car Access in Campus Plan

is undergoing a $15 million renovation to its campus that would reduce vehicle access and increase gathering places.

The “Transformation of the Campus Landscape” will be implemented this summer and the following two summers, and a majority of the renovations will affect the inner campus.

“The goal is to improve the quality of our physical campus by making it vehicle free, more pedestrian friendly, more accessible for different mobility needs, and safer, said Robert Morro, associate vice president for facilities management.

“It will also be more aesthetically pleasing, creating new outdoor community gathering spaces, and strengthening the connections between buildings,” Morro wrote in an email to Radnor Patch.

The first phase of the project, which was designed by architect Mark Thompson and landscape architect Stuart Appel, both of Philadelphia, is underway. 

The new Villanova University sign at Lancaster and Ithan avenues is one of the new items that will be visible to the public.

One of the main goals of the first phase will be making the campus more pedestrian friendly by changing the roadways on campus and limiting vehicle traffic.

The area on main campus between the Connelly Center and Vasey Hall will also be reconstructed. This area, referred to by Villanova students as the Oreo due to an Oreo-like statue, is a main thoroughfare for pedestrians.

The second stage, which will take place during the summer of 2012,will create “a grass ellipse between Dougherty and Kennedy halls and relocates the Awakening statue (also known as the Oreo) to the edge of this ellipse,” Morro said.

Construction during this phase will also take place in the plaza between Sullivan and Sheehan Halls, both of which house sophomore students.

The third and final phase will occur during the summer of 2013.  An area of the main campus called the Grotto will be rebuilt in a new location and the old grotto will be redesigned.

Dougherty Drive, which runs parallel to Lancaster Avenue, will be redesigned to include a vehicle turnaround.

Villanova students were involved in the Campus Landscape initiative.  Students and staff participated in focus groups.

“Student input was particularly valuable in designing the new grotto, the expanded Oreo plaza and the Sheehan Sullivan quad,” Morro said.

While the renovations were not modeled off of any other location, students did mention that other schools had a pedestrian only campus, Morro said. This was influential in making Villanova’s main campus more pedestrian friendly.

The renovations are part of the University Strategic Plan and the Campus Master Plan. 

The Campus Master Plan includes other potential future renovations as well, Morro said.  New residence halls and a Performing Arts Center are among the ideas.

Also included in the Campus Master Plan is “improved academic space including renovations to Tolentine Hall and Falvey Library,” Morro said.

Tolentine Hall is one of the main classroom buildings on campus.  Falvey Memorial Library is the only library on campus.

The Transformation of the Campus Landscape was developed not only from the Campus Master Plan, but also the University’s Strategic Plan. 

“Villanova’s distinctive offerings are at the core of the University’s Strategic Plan: Academic Excellence, Strong Community, Service to Others, Personal Attention and a Foundation for Success,” Morro wrote.

The construction will mostly take place during the summer, but some may continue into the fall.