Uaxaca Hall Construction Update

With San Diego State University President Adela de la Torre driving major institutional initiatives in support of student, faculty and staff development, and with ambitious plans for future growth, SDSU opens 2019 with increased momentum toward an expanded community impact. 

"Directions: SDSU in 2019" is a series highlighting top stories related to university research, student success and innovative programs and provides a forward-looking lens into the work of students, faculty and staff. 

Construction of a new residence hall that began in the fall of 2017 is on schedule, within budget, and expected to open by the start of the fall 2019 semester.

Currently covered from top to bottom in black screening, the new Uaxaca Hall stretches for a block along the north side of Remington Road between 55th Street and Chapultepec Residence Hall, across the street from Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The $130-million project overlooks Aztec Canyon on the location of the former parking lot used mainly by Chapultepec residents. It will include 170,000 interior square feet, 4,300 square feet of a new market/coffee shop component, and a 3,850-square-feet community center.

Uaxaca (pronounced /wa-HAH-ka) means the place of the guaje, a tree native to Oaxaca, Mexico. The Aztecs use this word to reference the territories of the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples.

Structures formerly housing the Aztec Market and Cholula Community Center adjacent to Chapultepec were razed to accommodate a direct connection joining Chapultepec with Uaxaca Hall. The build includes specially designed landscaping plus fencing along Remington Road, where a single entrance located in the new structure will be the main access point for both residence halls.

According to Amanda Scheidlinger with SDSU’s Planning, Design and Construction Department, interior mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work is currently underway along with framing and drywall installation. She said a temporary certificate of occupancy should be obtained by the end of May or early June, at which point furniture may be moved into the new residence hall.

“We are almost dried in, which is a big construction milestone,” said Scheidlinger. “That means the building is closed to rain and interior work may be done at any time.”

Features of the new residence hall will include kitchen facilities, interior courtyards with fireplaces, and more shared spaces designed to create a sense of community. Once open, Uaxaca Hall is expected to house at least 800 first-year students.

Recently, the university completed a complete renovation of Tenochca and Zura Halls, and is currently sprucing up Maya and Olmeca Halls, all located in the southeast corner of campus.