Jefferson College students to live in luxury
The former Patrick Henry Hotel, which is being renovated into upscale apartments, will house about 154 students starting in the fall 2011.
Carilion Clinic-owned Jefferson College of Health Sciences has arranged for its students to occupy 56 of the building’s 134 apartments. The college has reserved studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments on the third through sixth floors of the Patrick Henry. Students will pay the same monthly rents, ranging from $500 to $1,100, as other apartment tenants.
Jefferson College didn’t say if room and board costs will go up with the new housing arrangement, or if the college plans to subsidize any of the costs. It’s also unclear what will happen with the current spaces inside Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, where some students have lived in converted hospital rooms. Students also used to live in the Reid Center, but the college vacated that building this summer and Carilion hasn’t said what plans it has for that aging building.
Read more about Jefferson College’s plans here. And find out just how luxurious these apartments will be in this article by Jenny Kincaid Boone. And you can see some of the floor plans at the Patrick Henry’s website.
December 1, 2010 - 9:41 AM
I think Ed Walker is making a big mistake by allowing so many students into the Patrick Henry. Everyone who has a college aged child knows that older teens/younger 20-somethings are not always the best of tenants and I’m afraid he will drive off his most desired, hoped for tenants, i.e. working professionals and older folks who have the money to rent his upscale apartments. The two different groups do not always mesh. Either all students or all working professionals, etc., but I wouldn’t hold out much hope to mix the two together. If I had my eye on an apartment in the Patrick Henry and found out that students would be living there, I’d back out. I stayed in a hotel in downtown Richmond 3 years ago for 2 nights and unbeknownst to me, they were using several floors for VCU undergrads and some of the halls were full of beer cans, pizza boxes, overflowing trash cans, smells, etc., that you’d see in a dorm. I really don’t think that is what Mr. Walker is going for, especially with all of the money he’s spending on the hotel. However, I wish him the best of luck and hope I’m wrong. Personally, I’m really disappointed to see the PH becoming just another student dorm and not being marketed for the demographic he was originally looking for.
That’s great for the students, but it may prevent empty nesters from considering moving there.
back in the 80′s,I worked at ‘the Pat’.Fear not for the ancient edifice. Be they undergrads,convention goers, gangsters or Rock stars;that building needs LIFE pulsating through its hallways for another few decades…
I’ve signed up to live at The Patrick Henry and view the students living there as a positive. I’m married with one child. From what I understand, only the apartment dwellers will have a special access key for the elevator that will only go to the floor you live on. The school is leasing three floors of the concrete and steel building, noise shouldn’t be an issue, even the walls are insulated for sound. I’m looking forward to the diversity of my child being around as many different types of people as possible. The lobby should be a great gathering place. My guess is these students aren’t the typical college type party crowd either. Everyone wants to be happy and have fun no matter the age.
For those who think this isn’t a good idea, one thing to remember is not all JCHS students are teenagers. Regardless of the age, this move should work out well.