by Daniel Chu ’25
According to a recent interview with Mr. Ron Miller, the Chief Financial Officer of Bellarmine, significant progress is being made with the new Wade Academic Hall and other construction on campus, with more for students to look forward to.
All of the necessary building permits have been issued and designed plans completed; the next step is executing the many projects—with a budget totaling $15 to $30 million—scheduled for various buildings across campus.
New Jesuit Residence and Wade Hall
Since Thanksgiving break last year, the Jesuits have already moved into the new Jesuit residence built next to O’Donnell Hall. In addition, the school plans to build an ADU, or Accessory Dwelling Unit, by late spring of 2024 in the rear corner of the property, which will augment the school’s affordable employee housing program. The program, which currently comprises 8 residences near Bellarmine’s campus, provides accessible and, as its name suggests, affordable housing for the school’s employees.
Moving the Jesuits to the new Jesuit Residence has also freed up their previous space for the demolition of Wade Hall and the construction of the planned Wade Academic Center, scheduled for completion in early fall of 2025.
As Mr. Miller explained, the two-story building will include 21 classrooms and the offices for academic administration, IT, the Deans, School Nurse, Christian Services, and more. Furthermore, the plan also includes the James A. Harville ’63 Speech and Debate Hub, Fr. Dick Cobb Center for Adult Spirituality, and the V. Ronald Pine ’57 Lobby.
O’Donnell Hall, Berchman Hall, and Liccardo
Looking farther into the future, the new classes held in the Wade Academic Center will include classes like Modern and Classical Languages, Computer Science, and other classes currently held in O’Donnell Hall. The school’s longer term plans include the demolition of O’Donnell Hall and building a new Administration building in its place.
Berchman Hall, the most visible ongoing construction project, is scheduled to be moved this month and upgraded for occupancy by the fall of 2025. The building will be moved into the Mathewson parking lot facing Hedding Street, and upon completion, which will include an upgrade, will house the school’s admissions offices. Regarding the impact of these construction projects on daily traffic flow, Mr. Miller expressed hope that the traffic flow will improve by itself over time as the Bellarmine community gets acclimated to the many changes to traffic patterns across the campus.
Mr. Miller also indicated that there are plans for upgrading the main floor of the Liccardo Center afterwards.
Environmental Sustainability
As a Green Ribbon school, key to Bellarmine’s philosophy is its stewardship of the environment. As Mr. Miller explained, that focus on sustainability and the environment has contributed to many important features of the designs for the buildings.
Bellarmine is particularly focusing on certification from LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building certification program. LEED “grades” buildings with a system like a scorecard, assigning points for factors like water efficiency, building location, sustainability of the site, type of materials, and more. To that end, Wade Academic Center is designed to be environmentally efficient, to include features like solar PV panels, energy efficient windows, and roofing. The school plans to continue with its sustainability focus and commitment for all new building construction moving forward.