Piedmont College to break ground on 60,000 square-foot dorm

(Photo: Piedmont College)

Piedmont College will break ground this month on a new residence hall to accommodate the growing number of students living on-campus.

The new dormitory will be built near Plymouth and New Bedford residence halls on Georgia Street. (Photo: Google Maps)

Mystic Hall, named after a city in Connecticut with ties to Piedmont’s Congregationalist roots, will host 268 residential students on the Demorest campus near Plymouth Hall. The college will break ground on the 60,000 square-foot structure Feb. 24, and is set for completion for the fall semester of 2022.

This dormitory will be the largest residential structure Piedmont has ever built.

“We’re working hard to make it the best hall,” says Mark Jestel, Piedmont’s director of residential living. “We’re making sure that there will be an elevator, we’re making sure that there are more ADA compliant rooms, [we’re] making sure that there are enough staffing areas to make sure that students are best supported. […] I’m really excited about it.”

Piedmont College’s residential population has reached record numbers over the past seven years and projects its growth to reach 1,000 residential students by the time Mystic Hall reaches completion.

Once Mystic Hall is completed, Piedmont will begin major renovations on Purcell Hall which include floorplan changes, updated bathrooms, and new furniture. When Purcell is ready to host students again, the Getman-Babcock residence hall will be converted into office space. The college plans to demolish Wallace hall to make way for more on-campus parking.

This article was originally written for The Roar.