Lawrence University at Fox Commons made its much-anticipated debut on Thursday as a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the first phase of this exciting partnership—23 apartments that will house 86 Lawrence students beginning this weekend.
President Laurie A. Carter, Vice President for Student Life Chris Clarke, and Lawrence senior Mattigan Haller spoke to members of the media, Lawrence officials, project partners, area dignitaries, and students who gathered in the second-floor atrium and toured one of the student apartments.
“This is truly a wonderful day for Lawrence, the City of Appleton, the downtown community, and our numerous partners with Fox Commons,” Carter said. “This is the opening of an exciting extension of the Lawrence campus into the heart of the downtown.”
Lawrence is a tenant in the ongoing redevelopment of City Center Plaza, known as Fox Commons. The university signed a long-term lease with developer Dark Horse Development. The Lawrence spaces will include suite-style apartments for 174 students—86 this year and an additional 88 next year—and adjoining co-curricular spaces to support Lawrence academics, career exploration, and community collaborations.
Carter called the co-curricular spaces—a Business and Entrepreneurship Center and a Pre-Health Commons—important “connecting points” for students to engage in collaborative work with professionals in business and health and wellness fields.
“These spaces are being developed to support Lawrence’s academics and the important work of our Career Center,” she said.
Thursday’s unveiling of the apartments on the second floor—a mix of three- and four-bedroom units—is step one in the opening of Lawrence spaces in the multi-use development. The Business and Entrepreneurship Center, also on the second floor, will open in October. The third floor, featuring 26 apartments and the Pre-Health Commons, will open in summer of 2025.
While the Fox Commons apartments will be an extension of campus, with students still connected to the meal plan and other amenities, this will mark the first time Lawrence students will live off the main campus.
“Students at Lawrence have been wanting this for a long time,” said Mattigan Haller, a senior from Eau Claire who helped guide the planning as a member of the President’s Advisory Council and will be one of the inaugural residents. “While we love the residence halls on campus, many of us are ready for apartment living by the time we get to be juniors and seniors. Fox Commons offers us the best of both worlds. We’re living in apartments in downtown Appleton while still being closely connected to campus.”
In the apartments, each student will have their own furnished bedroom. They will share a furnished common area and kitchen with their roommates. Each bedroom will have natural light exposure through an exterior window or skylight.
“It’s a special day for us at Lawrence when we can open new housing options for students,” Clarke said. “It has been an incredible process that has moved at a quick pace, and all of us across the university are excited for what Fox Commons means to our community and the Appleton community. While still being part of the Lawrence campus, our juniors and seniors now have the opportunity to live in these beautiful downtown apartments, giving them more independence and the chance to experience apartment living similar to what awaits after they graduate.”
Clarke called it a “natural progression” of Lawrence’s residential philosophy.
“Lawrence is and remains a residential campus,” he said. “That doesn’t change. But Fox Commons adds new housing flexibility for our upper-year students.”
Carter said the partnerships built into the Fox Commons project will strengthen both Lawrence and downtown Appleton.
“Partnerships are at the center of it all,” she said. “Not only will our students be part of the vibrant and growing residential community in downtown Appleton, they will have opportunities to collaborate with business and health care organizations that are also investing in Fox Commons. We are excited to soon welcome our neighbors and partners—Mosaic Family Health, Prevea Health, and Gener8tor, among others."
The opportunities for mentoring, collaborative programming, and guest lectures will enhance the experience for students.
“This is Lawrence being intentional about building partnerships in the community and exploring ways those partnerships can benefit students as we build paths toward deeper career discernment and career exploration on the way to graduation,” Carter said.
Carter applauded Dark Horse Development and Boldt Holdings for their vision on Fox Commons, and she thanked Findorff Construction for its work in keeping the project on schedule so Lawrence students can move in before the start of classes on Monday.
“They have been wonderful, thoughtful partners since this project was launched last summer,” Carter said. “We look forward to more collaboration as we prepare for the opening of the Business and Entrepreneurship Center this October and the third-floor apartments and Pre-Health Commons next summer.”
Details of Lawrence spaces at Fox Commons:
Business and Entrepreneurship Center
- Located on the second floor, adjacent to Lawrence apartments.
- It will open in late October 2024.
- It is designed to support career exploration and mentoring opportunities in business and entrepreneurship.
- It includes a large multipurpose room with configurable furniture and stage for lectures, performances, and pitch competitions.
- It includes a finance lab equipped with data analysis and finance terminals.
- It includes a group study/meeting space for students, faculty, and community collaborations.
Pre-Health Commons
- Located on third floor, adjacent to Lawrence apartments.
- It will open in summer of 2025.
- It is designed to support career exploration in health fields, mentoring opportunities, and collaborative public health programming.
- It includes training/classroom space.
- It includes a demonstration kitchen.
Apartments on second floor
- Apartments on the second floor will open in time for students to move in the weekend of Sept. 14-15, 2024. Classes begin Sept. 16.
- Includes 23 residential spaces, a mix of three- and four-bedroom apartments.
- Will house 86 students. The apartments are at capacity as the academic year begins.
Apartments on third floor
- Scheduled to open in the summer of 2025 (in time for the opening of Lawrence’s 2025-26 academic year)
- Includes 26 residential spaces, a mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments.
- Will house 88 students.
Apartment details
- Each student will have their own furnished bedroom.
- Each apartment will have a furnished common area and kitchen and two bathrooms.
- Each apartment will have natural light exposure through exterior windows or a skylight.
- There will be four laundry rooms between the two floors, with a total of 24 washers and dryers.
- Access to residential spaces will be card-access for residents of Fox Commons only.
Ed Berthiaume
Ed Berthiaume is director of public information at Lawrence University.