The newly renovated space on 1515 University Avenue has officially opened this past weekend. Known as “1515”, the restructured building will serve as a student center but will also be open to the public every day until 7pm. Fourth-year College student Madeline Culbreth, who was involved with the 1515 project, said this was due to a desired community-university interaction.
“We envision the space as a place that community members and UVa students alike can utilize and enjoy,” she said.
The building has been home to numerous occupants over the course of its 120-year history. It has served as everything from UVa student housing to, more recently, a gift shop and bookstore. The initial planning began two years ago when the 2017 class of Meriwether Lewis Scholars were chosen to design the building.
The building contains three floors, all of which offer something different. 1515 is designed to cater especially to UVa students. For example, there is a coffee shop on the main floor and various study spaces located throughout the building.
Culbreth explained, “Students are allowed to bring in food and re-arrange furniture- again speaking to the idea that the space is student space that can be flexible.
Culbreth said that the planning committee is already considering further input on 1515 from students.
“We are already implementing ideas that students have brought forth like karaoke, Dance Dance Revolution, certain ways to re-arrange things, et cetera.”
Another main component of 1515 is implementing student artwork, which is on display throughout the main floor of the building. The ultimate goal of 1515 is to create a beneficial option for students to have on the corner.
Fourth-year student Yae Ji Cha, who has served on the 1515 planning committee described the space as “an integral piece of student culture, and one that is versatile to change with each new student body. 1515 is conceptually a space open to interpretation and I’m excited to see how current and future ’Hoos make meaning of it.”
