Vanderbilt's $600 million capital project to change the face of West End Avenue

The view of Vanderbilt University from West End Avenue will soon receive a facelift — at a cost of an estimated $600 million.

The brown brick Carmichael Towers will be demolished. In their place, new living space will be built that university officials believe will better reflect the school's character.

'Towers are so ugly'

"The towers are so ugly. There are many jokes that they were built by the Soviet Union," said Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos. "When people drive down West End, they say 'wow, there is Vanderbilt.' But it is troubling."

The towers will be replaced with three "residential colleges" and a planned 20-story gothic tower.

The colleges will be hubs that mirror the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons where all freshmen students live. The Commons combines residential space, classrooms and a student center in a consolidated cluster.

'Campus within a campus'

The replacement of Carmichael Towers will create a similar “campus within a campus" for sophomores, juniors and seniors, Zeppos said.

"It's going to speak very much to the idea that this is a timeless institution," Zeppos said.

The redesign of campus living is part of a long-term shift for the university. A similar cluster, known as the E. Bronson Ingram College, is already under construction near West End and Louise avenues. The building cost is included in the $600 million West End facelift.

The new Bronson building — which features living, classroom and activity space — is expected to be completed this summer. It will feature updated facilities and amenities, but its exterior is reminiscent of gothic architecture that fits with the more grandiose buildings on campus.

"Architecturally, (E. Bronson Ingram) is from another era," said Bob Grummon, a Vanderbilt University construction project manager. "You just don't build like this anymore."

Academics, recreation conversation overlap

Zeppos said residential colleges will weave the many aspects of college life together in one space. The hope is that academics, recreation and conversation will overlap in interesting ways.

"We were asking how do we educate the whole person?," Zeppos said. "How do we create a learning community where faculty, students, and staff can come together in settings that aren’t classroom but are just as important?"

The gothic tower and residential colleges are expected to be completed by 2023, in time for the school's 150th anniversary.

Low impact on traffic

The construction project is expected to have a low impact on West End Avenue traffic, according to Grummon. And few, if any, students will be displaced from the campus during construction, he said.

The Carmichael project is part of the university's greater long-term land use and beautification plan called FutureVU.

The far-reaching plan has been instrumental in guiding the philosophy of community in new campus buildings, Zeppos said.

In the future, he wants to pursue similar projects for graduate students.

"We very much are proceeding on parallel lines to do this with graduate professionals," Zeppos said.

Reach Jason Gonzales at jagonzales@tennessean.com and on Twitter @ByJasonGonzales.