A long-discussed reimagining of the University of South Carolina’s beloved, but overstretched student union is beginning to take shape after the board of trustees last week voted to move forward with plans to expand and renovate the Russell House.
While nothing is set in stone, the current plan calls for replacing the building’s aging west wing and the nearby Thomson Building, located across from the Bull Street parking garage, to create a larger ballroom, more space for student organizations and additional dining capacity in what is currently one of the smallest student unions in the Southeastern Conference.
The multiphase project would also address internal maintenance needs in the oldest sections of the 72-year-old Russell House, functionally and architecturally modernize the building and make traversing its sometimes incoherent layout more convenient for students.
A number of key retail services currently located in the student union, including the bookstore, hair salon, post office, print shop, credit union and retail dining, may also be relocated to South Main Street, where the university owns property it is in the process of developing…