Valpo to Buy Porter Hospital: News Conference Monday

[okinawatyphoon]

I am very excited for the new master plan. I agree that Valpo has too much parking, especially the vast lots across campus. A few parking garages and you'll free up all that space for more buildings or green space. And for goodness' sake, please plant some more trees in the central part of campus.

[vuweathernerd]

Quite interesting.  The new map looks like the Sigma Tau Gamma frat house @ 801 Union Street will kind of be the Gateway for all this.  Probably make that land worth 3x its current value!

In my mind I always thought McIntyre would be the ideal location for a Greek Row.  Inthe plan, property on McIntyre will be used to develop the athletes walk.  It's my understanding that the university is buying up other properties there too.  Is that true?  It's kind of ideally positioned with respect to other university housing around the core and is a nice long street.  By creating a Greek ("Street/Way/Path/Road/whatever") it removes that street as a barrier between places on campus.  But they didn't ask me to be on the committee so this is just a "t'would be nice" thought.

I'm quite sure the plan calls for McIntyre to remain residential (non-Valpo) as the students seems to like it there.  There will be a walk through are though.  Speaking of walking, I doubt the vast majority of people on this board will understand what "walking" was like back in the day.  Mu freshman year I lived at Werenberg and had a class at "Foundry Annex" which was about two or three blocks west of the current law school.  Almost all classes were on old campus yet all the dorms are where they are now!  Now, that's "walking"!

my parents have similar memories from their days on campus of walking all over porter county for class and what-not. but i thought the university was in fact buying all the properties on mcintyre, though they hadn't decided what to do with the properties.

[valporun]

I remember there being talk of buying those properties, but I think that was during the Harre administration. I want to say one of the main reasons it wasn't bought out was due to some of the people living on McIntyre were younger professors and coaches who could get affordable property there, since they wouldn't have to drive to get to work all the time. In fact, I remember at least one coach lived on that street, and he loved it because he could walk to work, and even bring his son to work to play around in the grass, and wouldn't have to use the car to do that.

[historyman]

A note about McIntyre Court. VU owns about 1/2 the houses on that block. They only buy a property when they feel it is priced appropriately. There are some homeowners on that block that obviously know the school's intentions and are trying to hold out for big pay days. The university has the upper hand because it will be there longer than the home owners.

If you want to make money for your kids buy one of the houses owned by a homeowner and tell your kids to hang on to the property for as long as possible. I'm sure VU will eventually have to cave in on the last few houses.

Many of those houses on McIntyre Court were willed to the university by VU profs who passed away.

I have heard that VU only owns 2 of the houses on the alley next to the softball field and almost all of the houses on the opposite side.

[valpotx]

I was one of those who drove all over the place unfortunately, mainly because I was always in a rush from class-to-game-to-practice-to-class, etc. I am sure that it will be much easier for people with these types of schedules once all of the athletic facilities are closer together

[valpo04]

I have heard that VU only owns 2 of the houses on the alley next to the softball field and almost all of the houses on the opposite side.

If you look at the Master Plan pdf, on Page 10 there is a campus map.  If you look at McIntyre Court, I think the properties that the University owns are colored/green while the rest are gray.  This seems to jive with historyman's story (2 on softball field side, about half on the other.)

http://valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/VU%20MP%20Exec%20Summary_final.pdf

[VULB#62]

If you look at the Master Plan pdf, on Page 10 there is a campus map.  If you look at McIntyre Court, I think the properties that the University owns are colored/green while the rest are gray.  This seems to jive with historyman's story (2 on softball field side, about half on the other.)

http://valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/VU%20MP%20Exec%20Summary_final.pdf

That's a great link.  The additional graphics and photos along with the text, provide a lot more detail and a pretty clear picture of the campus of the future.  The task force did a great job.

I do have one question regarding east gate.  According to the map, the property is significant in size (maybe as much as 1/3 the size of the core campus).  Once baseball and soccer move back to campus in the athletics district, that area is allocated for mixed use development.  I suppose it would be retained under university ownership, but why not instead sell all or a portion of it to gain capital that would help finance the implementation of the Master Plan?  Just wondering.

[historyman]

I do have one question regarding east gate.  According to the map, the property is significant in size (maybe as much as 1/3 the size of the core campus).  Once baseball and soccer move back to campus in the athletics district, that area is allocated for mixed use development.  I suppose it would be retained under university ownership, but why not instead sell all or a portion of it to gain capital that would help finance the implementation of the Master Plan?  Just wondering.

If President O.P. Kretzmann and the Lutheran University Association had decided to sell the land that had been used up till that time for farming and was owned by VU back in the 1930's and 40's when the university was very cashed strapped and struggling the school would be stuck in the area of "old campus" today. Without that foresight and vision the "new campus" would never have opened up.

I believe Valpo is holding on to valuable land which they will have a great need for in the future. Actually I have heard that additional land was added to the university owned land east of Sturdy Road as recently as a few years ago.

[VULB#62]

Pretty much thought the same thing, but wanted to float the question.

[wh]

University-owned real estate east of Sturdy represents appx. 80 acres bordered by 4 hotels, numerous eating establishments, and a major shopping center. It is a valuable land asset.

[wh]

New stores coming, old hospital going in Valpo

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/new-stores-coming-old-hospital-going-in-valpo/article_5c182028-79af-5ed3-a6f4-adc08c0ba467.html

[bbtds]

New stores coming, old hospital going in Valpo

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/new-stores-coming-old-hospital-going-in-valpo/article_5c182028-79af-5ed3-a6f4-adc08c0ba467.html

Actual demolition probably won't begin until spring. While the method of demolishing the 425,835-square-foot, seven-story building will be up to the contractor, Keltner said, it will not be by implosion because of the proximity to homes and other buildings.

I'm sure glad they decided against it. That certainly would have been an implosition on the students and the University too. You might have an opposing kicker knock one over the fence while practicing towards the old hospital building and suddenly the building implodes. Imagine the look on his face. Not a good senario.

[vuweathernerd]

New stores coming, old hospital going in Valpo

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/new-stores-coming-old-hospital-going-in-valpo/article_5c182028-79af-5ed3-a6f4-adc08c0ba467.html

Actual demolition probably won't begin until spring. While the method of demolishing the 425,835-square-foot, seven-story building will be up to the contractor, Keltner said, it will not be by implosion because of the proximity to homes and other buildings.

I'm sure glad they decided against it. That certainly would have been an implosition on the students and the University too. You might have an opposing kicker knock one over the fence while practicing towards the old hospital building and suddenly the building implodes. Imagine the look on his face. Not a good senario.

and the next day, he'd be signing an nfl contract and leaving school...

(ps - love your avatar pic)

[bbtds]

(ps - love your avatar pic)

You might imagine that is AP but it's the kicker who thinks he knocked down the Porter Hospital building. 

[valpopal]

When I was at the ARC yesterday to take photos of the softball team, I noticed activity at the old Porter Hospital. Therefore, I went over to check it out and discovered the demolition of the hospital was starting. The first section to be removed is the one-story wing in the back of the hospital. I thought folks would be pleased to see that the project has begun:

[okinawatyphoon]

Thanks for the update Valpopal.....let's hope it goes down quick!

[vu72]

Having spent a week there a long time ago, under the supervision of doc Stoltz    I'm very glad to see it go!  I sure hope they salvage the shades though! 

[agibson]

I remember there being talk of buying those properties, but I think that was during the Harre administration. I want to say one of the main reasons it wasn't bought out was due to some of the people living on McIntyre were younger professors and coaches who could get affordable property there, since they wouldn't have to drive to get to work all the time.

It may be that some VU employees own places on McIntyre, but a number there, and others over in the "bird" streets of Eastgate, are rented out by the university.  So, a number of new, or visiting faculty, new coaches, etc. rent houses from the university in these places for a few years, or longer.

[ml2]

Most of the property on McIntyre Ct and out at Eastgate is owned by the University, but not all of it. Porter County makes a lot of real estate information available online so you can easily see who owns the different parcels.

http://porterin.mygisonline.com/