Curators OK student housing project at Columbia campus

ROLLA, Mo. -- University of Missouri system curators have approved a $58 million student housing project for the Columbia campus.

The 526-bed "Mid-Campus Residence Hall" will replace the Baker-Park and Gardner-Hyde dormitories south of the Student Recreation Center. It's the last major new building project in the university's plan to update student living space.

The older buildings would have been "too costly to renovate," said Frankie Minor, director of Residential Life.

During their meeting Friday, the curators gave preliminary approval for the university to hire KCI Construction of St. Louis and International Architects Atelier of Kansas City to handle the project.

Two other facilities -- the Southwest Campus Housing Complex and the College Avenue Housing Complex -- were opened last fall at a total cost of $58 million. They house 659 and 345 students, respectively.