Gilbane Building Co., based in Providence, Rhode Island, has officially broken ground on Salem State University’s BOLD project, a major modernization and campus consolidation effort designed to unify operations on the school’s North Campus, according to an April 23 news release from the university. The $84 million project, reported by the Gloucester Daily Times, will move programs currently housed on the South Campus to updated and newly expanded facilities on the North Campus.

As part of the project, Gilbane will oversee significant renovations to the existing Horace Mann building on Loring Avenue and an expansion of Meier Hall on Lafayette Street. According to the university, these changes will provide cutting-edge lab spaces and support the eventual sale of Salem State’s South Campus, a move aligned with the state’s strategic plans for higher education infrastructure.

The Horace Mann building, which has been vacant since 2018, is set for a complete overhaul. Once renovated, it will become a modern, state-of-the-art academic facility, primarily serving the Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services. The updated building will include "nursing simulation suites, bedside skills and occupational therapy labs, student hubs and flexible classrooms," per the news release. Additionally, construction crews will install a new, accessible entrance facing the campus to better integrate the building into the university’s footprint.

Meanwhile, the Meier Hall expansion will introduce seven new high-intensity teaching laboratories along with associated support spaces. The modernized labs will benefit several academic programs, including biology, chemistry, and geological sciences, providing students with updated facilities that meet current teaching and research standards.

In a major sustainability initiative tied to the BOLD project, Gilbane will also lead the decarbonization of the North Campus. This effort includes the construction of a geothermal wellfield beneath the faculty parking area behind Meier Hall. "Once completed," according to a release from Gilbane, "the system of about 100 wells will help heat and cool both the Meier Hall expansion and the Horace Mann building, as well as improve the heating and cooling of the Berry Library."

Looking toward the future, Salem State is planning for further integration with this geothermal system. As part of Phase Two, the school will extend connections from the new wellfield to four additional North Campus buildings, expanding the university’s commitment to sustainability and lowering its long-term energy costs.

All three major construction projects—the Horace Mann renovation, the Meier Hall expansion, and the geothermal infrastructure—will run concurrently, though their starting points will be staggered. Initial blasting work for the Meier Hall addition necessitates a phased launch. According to the university, work on the Horace Mann building has already begun this spring, while construction on Meier Hall and the geothermal project is scheduled to start over the summer. Completion for all three is targeted for the summer of 2027.

The BOLD project marks a transformative chapter for Salem State University, promising not just modernized facilities but also a more unified, sustainable campus environment for future generations of students.

Originally reported by Matthew Thibault in Construction Dive.