Saint Louis University School of Law dean Annette Clark announced today in a letter to students that the school will move to a new downtown location in August.
SLU's law school encompasses more than 1,100 students, staff, and faculty, which, according to the university, will make SLU the largest educational institution in downtown St. Louis.
The new 260,000-square-foot, 11-story building at 100 North Tucker Boulevard, next door to the Civil Courts Building, includes a lobby and ground-floor auditorium, a three-story private parking garage, and seven floors of occupiabile space. Also, to alleviate the commute from the main campus, the school plans to provide a shuttle service. So far, no plans have been made for what to do with the existing law school buidling on SLU's main campus.
Joe Scott, founder and owner of Scott properties, and his wife Loretta donated the new building, which will be named in their honor.
University president Lawrenece Biondi said in a press release, "The donation of this building is a true blessing. Thanks to the generosity of Joe and Loretta Scott, we can now realize our dream of creating a modern space that reflects the outstanding teaching and scholarship taking place in our School of Law."
The university has employed Lawrence Group Archtiecs and Clayco Inc. to design and construct the new space by the 2012-2013 academic year beginning this August.
The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis also endorsed the move. Maggie Campbell, president and CEO for the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District, released a statement saying, "We are thrilled to learn of SLU’s decision to move their Law School to Downtown St. Louis. In the Downtown Next 2020 Plan, one of the stated strategies for bolstering our educational resources was 'to expand the presence of higher education downtown with an additional college or school from of the region's universities.' The exchange of ideas, creativity and general buzz generated by the presence of these law students will provide a unique infusion of energy and talent to Downtown St. Louis, and our business community looks forward to engaging with them."
Check out the video below for images and more info about the building:
Joe and Loretta Scott Law Center from Saint Louis University on Vimeo.
