The $21 million project to create a new front entrance for the Ellicott Complex will be completed in July or August 2024 in the first phase of UB’s housing master plan.
Demolition for the project — nicknamed “The Landing at Ellicott” — started last June. The plan is to redesign the entrance of Ellicott Complex and a portion of Fargo Quad, in an effort to make the space student-friendly and comfortable.
Administrators decided to move forward after “student and staff concerns” were voiced over recent years about Ellicott’s difficulty to navigate, especially in harsh weather conditions, Interim Director of Housing Operations Brian Haggerty said.
“We are creating a landing spot, living room concept for our students,” Haggerty said in a university press release. “It will serve as a ‘front door’ for the complex. So for incoming students, their families, visitors to the university, they will know where to go.”
The project is meant to promote sustainability, define a front entrance, create more space and enhance community and overall student experience.
The Fargo Quad will be off limits until its opening in fall 2024.
After “The Landing at Ellicott” is finished, Fargo’s electrical switchgears and boilers will be replaced.
Students will have the opportunity to view potential furniture pieces for the new entrance and provide feedback in October.
The “Landing at Ellicott” project comes on the heels of renovations to Goodyear and Clement Halls on South Campus, which were closed for the 2022-23.
Kayla Estrada is the senior news editor and can be reached at kayla.estrada@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Estrada is the opinion editor at The Spectrum. She is an English major who enjoys rainy weather, “Bob’s Burgers” and asking people who they voted for. When she’s not writing, she can be found hunting for odd-looking knick-knacks at the nearest thrift store.