The University of South Florida today opened a new 125,000-square-foot residence hall on its St. Petersburg campus, increasing the number of on-campus beds by nearly 70 percent.
The 375-bed facility, called Osprey Suites, has five residential floors as well as a first-floor lounge and study area that includes a spacious community kitchen.
Osprey Suites is the third residence hall on USF’s St. Petersburg campus and expands on-campus student housing from approximately 550 beds to more than 900. It also supports efforts to develop additional educational programming for residential students.
“The opening of this beautiful new residence hall is a major milestone for our campus and our university,” said Martin Tadlock, regional chancellor of USF’s St. Petersburg campus. “Osprey Suites will be a place where students study together, learn from each other and plan a future filled with hope and a promise for a sustainable future and a better tomorrow.”
The $33-million facility was made possible by leveraging the collective strengths of the University of South Florida campuses, which were consolidated into one university as of July 1, 2020. Revenues from USF’s Tampa campus student housing were used to provide bond capacity to fund Osprey Suites.
“This project is a terrific example of the spirit of innovation and collaboration that drives our university,” said USF President Steven Currall. “It sends a message about the priority we place on building community and bringing people together to create outstanding academic outcomes as OneUSF.”
Dallas-based Beck Group is the architect for the residence hall, which is located near the northwestern corner of campus on 6th Ave. S between 3rd and 4th Street S, across from the University Police Department and adjacent to the Rowdies practice field. The first floor will house a full-service dining facility, which is scheduled to be open for the spring 2021 semester.
The rooms in Osprey Suites are suite-style in configuration, with the majority being shared two bedroom, one bath suites. The remainder are three or four single occupancy bedrooms with two bathrooms. The design includes a student lounge and study room on each floor.
USF students will begin moving into Osprey Suites this week. While the building can accommodate 375 students, only about 173 will be living in the hall during the fall semester due to social distancing restrictions and a reduced number of students on campus as a result of Covid-19.
Osprey Suites will not only help offset the growing demand for housing on USF’s St. Petersburg campus, it also allows the campus to expand curriculum targeted to residential students, said Stephanie Goforth, the chair of USF St. Petersburg’s Campus Advisory Board and a member of the USF Board of Trustees.
“Living on campus is not just about convenience for students. It’s about building a community and helping students find their place both academically and socially,” Goforth said. “Osprey Suites is more than just a building. It is the next step in the evolution of USF’s St. Petersburg campus.”