WEST LAFAYETTE — A new faith-based residence hall for Purdue University students could break ground as soon as next spring.
St. Thomas Aquinas, a prominent Catholic church near campus, plans to start construction in late May or next June on a six-floor, 330-bed student housing center. The center would be built on a parking lot adjacent to the church in between Marstellar and Sheetz streets and is expected to open in summer 2020.
Rev. Patrick Baikauskas, director of campus ministry for St. Tom's, said the driving force for the project was to create a space that encourages students to engage with one another as part of a community.
"We’re not doing this for reasons people are building The Hub and other places in Chauncey Village," he said. "We don’t need to be landlords. We want to be a force for good in the lives of young people that are going to be living in this residence hall."
Baikauskas is confident the church won't have an issue filling the center's planned 177 units. About 13,000 Purdue students are Catholic, a quarter of whom are very active in St. Tom's ministries, he said.
Although many Catholics will likely be drawn to the center, he said, it will be open to all undergraduate and graduate students. The main focus will be on sophomore students and above, however, because it's beneficial for freshmen to live in university residences, Baikauskas said.