Six stories of glass and stone rising majestically over the intersection of City Avenue and Cardinal Avenue, the 120,000 sq. ft. Villiger Residence Hall welcomed its first residents this past fall. Saint Joseph’s newest and largest residence hall, Villiger houses up to 400 co-ed students, and joins LaFarge, McShain and Sourin as SJU’s on-campus residence halls. The University can now house the entire freshman class in on-campus facilities. The construction is the University’s most comprehensive residential project since the construction of the City Avenue Apartments in 2004 and the first addition of new freshman beds since McShain Hall was built in 1988.

Named in honor of Fr. Burchard Villiger S.J., the fifth president of Saint Joseph’s College and a faculty member from its founding in 1851, Villiger Hall boasts a breathtaking view of the Maguire Campus from the atria in each floor’s study area.

Each floor includes lounges and study areas and common bathroom areas. Residents can also take advantage of in-room air conditioning and basic cable television, a state-of-the-art fitness center, building-wide wireless networking, laundry facilities, and vending machines. The hall, which maintains around the clock security, was constructed to “maximize student interaction,” according to Director of Residence Life John Jeffrey.

Ground was broken in the spring of 2011 on this project that Campus Apartments managed. Roxborough-based PZS Architects designed the residence and INTECH served as the construction company. Check out two separate time lapse presentations of the entire construction.