Construction on Roderick J. McDavis Residence Hall on South Green remains on schedule, with the building expected to open to students in August 2026, according to the Ohio University website.
The hall, located behind MacKinnon, Brown and Pickering Halls, will be the largest residence hall on campus, featuring 591 beds across five stories, indoor and outdoor activity spaces and updated facilities aimed at meeting OU’s housing demand and capacity needs.
Named after Roderick J. McDavis, OU’s 20th president and its first African-American president, the hall honors his tenure from 2004-2017. McDavis was also the second OU alumnus to serve as president.
Chris Owens, director for Housing Capital and Facilities Planning, said the project is about 60% complete. The total project budget is $110 million, with roughly $66 million spent to date.
Currently, Owens said crews are focused on exterior masonry and window installation. In the coming months, construction will shift indoors.
“This work will focus on installing remaining wall studs, drywall, paint, lighting, ceiling, flooring, bathroom tile and fixtures, doors, casework, furniture and more,” Owens said in an email.
Although the hall is still under construction, students on South Green are already feeling its presence.
Brandy Outly, a third-year student studying hearing, speech and language sciences and a resident adviser on South Green, said noise from the site has become slightly more noticeable this year.
Although Outly graduates this year before the hall opens, she said she is excited for future students.
“I like to see that they're building newer, more modern dorms for future students,” Outly said. “I don't think a lot of the dorms are necessarily worth what students pay for, so I am happy to see new dorms being put up that are of higher quality.”
She said there are not many downsides to being near the construction, other than the dust.
“I think it’s disappointing how dusty my car gets,” Outly said. “It's in the garage beneath (Pickering) and it just gets covered in dust, which is kind of disappointing, considering how expensive parking permits are, and I know a lot of people feel that way.”
According to OU’s website, sustainability is a key part of the project. In order to honor the historic land the university is built on, as well as contribute to environmental conservation, certain steps are being taken during the construction process.
Initiatives include replanting two trees for every one removed, designing walkways to avoid tree disruption, adding bike parking and letting natural light into spaces to reduce energy use. An impacted tree will also be milled and repurposed into a table for the hall’s first-floor lobby.
Despite the sustainability measures, Outly said the loss of green space has been difficult to watch.
“I think the saddest thing about it is seeing the green space go,” Outly said. “It’s something that's sad to see, because it's such an integral part of campus, but like I said, I'm grateful to see better amenities happen for our future students.”
