The former Black Student Alliance (BSA) house, located at 716 Peavine Creek, will be torn down and replaced with an open-air pavilion, according to Associate Vice President of Finance, Administration and Operations Eric Bymaster.
The open-air pavilion will provide ample seating and patio space, allowing student groups to host large events and audiences, according to Bymaster.
The pavilion will accommodate groups without their own housing units. Groups will be able to reserve the space for performances and other events that may have traditionally been restrained by indoor facilities.
“Students have shared that there is a strong need for an enclosed space … where student organizations can host large-scale programs,” Assistant Vice President of Community Suzanne Onorato said.
Covered by a retractable roof, the pavilion will function as an alternative to venues such as McDonough Field.
“Currently, indoor space does not exist for large scale events and shows, such as [dance] showcases, talent shows and other student programs,” Bymaster wrote in an email to the Wheel. “This is a unique opportunity for Emory students to be part of planning a new student-focused space.”
A groundbreaking celebration is anticipated for next semester, Bymaster wrote, adding that this is contingent upon contractor scheduling and Board of Trustees approval.
If all goes according to plan, the pavilion is expected to open in fall 2016, Onorato said.
A farewell ceremony for BSA’s Peavine Creek house is expected to occur between late October and early November. Deconstruction of the house is projected to take place over the winter months, according to Bymaster.
The BSA’s former residence was established in 1987 and is able to accommodate six students. The house welcomed all affiliates of the black community and was treasured by BSA students and alumni alike, said BSA President and College junior Sophen Joseph.
However, the house was severely in need of repairs, Bymaster said.
“The repair costs were staggering given the size of the facility,” Bymaster wrote. "With the initiation of new theme housing opportunities and the tremendous interest in BSA, the old facility would not accommodate the demand, even if it were renovated.”
The BSA Peavine Creek house will be remembered in the pavilion, according to Bymaster, who is facilitating ongoing discussions to generate ways to honor the house and its leaders.
“Campus Life staff has been meeting with students, faculty, staff and alumni over the past six months to collaboratively plan how to support the BSA house, design the pavilion and honor the work of so many alumni and student groups,” Bymaster wrote.
The exact execution of this has yet to be determined but may include physical monuments, like engraved stones.
“It’s very easy to focus on the house coming down,” Joseph said. “Every time we’ve had a BSA house, it was not about the space or the property. It was about commemorating those students who fought for the house, maintained it and had an experience. It’s a historical space and means a lot to the black community here.”
The BSA applied for and was one of the first non-Greek organizations granted a theme housing space on 22 Eagle Row, the former Chi Phi fraternity residence.
The BSA’s new house provides students with feelings of safety and unity, College senior NaVosha Copeland said.
“I don’t personally care for the wishy-washiness of safe spaces,” Copeland said, referring to the changing location of the BSA’s physical space on campus. However, Copeland expressed satisfaction in the fact that the BSA will maintain its physical presence on campus.
Copeland anticipates that the house, which will support the substantial student interest in BSA, will allow students and members of the black community to “create safety, solidarity and [affirmation of] our experiences.”
Joseph hopes that Residence Life and Housing and Campus Life will indeed acknowledge the Peavine Creek house and history in the open-air pavilion’s design.
“I think it would be very nice to see yourself represented in a public space — something that the University and the student body deem important,” Joseph said.
