Groundbreaking ceremony for 600-bed student housing complex at Purdue Fort Wayne set for Tuesday

A yearslong goal of adding more on-campus student housing at Purdue University Fort Wayne will take a major step forward on Tuesday (Oct. 29) when ground will be broken on a 600-bed, 213,000-square-foot apartment complex near Ginsberg Hall on the university's North Campus.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. It will symbolically usher in the first major phase of construction on the $90-$100 million development, which is a public-private partnership with Gilbane Development Company. Preliminary site work began in September. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in time to welcome students for the fall 2026 semester.

As the university continues its transition from a commuter campus to one that offers a more traditional residential environment, Purdue Fort Wayne’s student housing has been at full capacity for seven consecutive fall semesters. At the start of the 2024-25 academic year, 1,533 students chose to take advantage of this opportunity.

A range of housing options at the complex will include studio to four-bedroom units. The 600 beds will be spread out over 176 units.  

Participants at the brief ceremony are scheduled to include Purdue Fort Wayne Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer; Ian Hyatt, chief of staff to Purdue University President Mung Chiang; Krissy Surface, Purdue Fort Wayne vice chancellor for enrollment management and the student experience; Dana Berkes, vice president of the Purdue Fort Wayne Foundation; and Geoff Eisenacher, vice president for development, Gilbane Development Company.

For additional information, contact Geoff Thomas at [email protected] or 260-437-7657 (mobile).