Rutgers-Camden plans $60M project on Cooper Street

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·1 min read

CAMDEN — Rutgers University–Camden has begun construction of a $60 million facility on two blighted blocks in the downtown area.

The project "will transform 14 vacant historic properties and several empty lots along the 400 block of Cooper and Lawrence streets," the school said in a statement.

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It plans a three-story facility to hold units of its Faculty of Arts & Sciences that are currently in two separate buildings.

The building will rise behind the facades of the Cooper Street structures, which are in a historic district.

A bicyclist passes buildings that will be incorporated into a $60 million project at Rutgers University-Camden.
A bicyclist passes buildings that will be incorporated into a $60 million project at Rutgers University-Camden.

"All new construction will protect the integrity of historic buildings," the statement said.

Properties on Lawrence Street, several of them currently dilapidated, will hold offices and residences for visiting faculty, the statement siad.

Rutgers University-Camden plans a $60 million complex on the 400 block of Lawrence Street.
Rutgers University-Camden plans a $60 million complex on the 400 block of Lawrence Street.

The complex also will hold an outdoor space for gatherings of Rutgers students and community members.

At a May 9 ground-breaking ceremony, Rutgers–Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis described the project as "a substantial investment in the future of our institution, our students, and the people of Camden.”

A rendering shows a planned $60 million facility between the 400 block of Cooper and Lawrence streets in Camden. The building is a project of Rutgers University-Camden.
A rendering shows a planned $60 million facility between the 400 block of Cooper and Lawrence streets in Camden. The building is a project of Rutgers University-Camden.

Rutgers University–Camden serves about 6,100 students and has more than 1,000 faculty and staff members.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Building will consolidate Arts & Sciences units on Cooper Street