Woolpert Celebrates Completion of Capers Hall Replacement
The new building houses the military college’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences and features a 250-seat performing arts auditorium, an art gallery, a mock courtroom, and sensitive intelligence and cybersecurity studios.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Sept. 21, 2023) — The Citadel hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newly constructed Capers Hall on Saturday, Sept. 9, following a two-year replacement project. The design was led by Woolpert, and the construction was led by Thompson Turner Construction. The three-story, 97,500-square-foot building replaced the college’s original Capers Hall, which opened in the 1950s. The building will continue to house classrooms and offices for multiple departments within the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Woolpert provided architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design for the roughly $67 million project. Capers Hall classrooms feature modern educational upgrades and furniture, including smart technology devices, expanded infrastructure for customizable classrooms, and audio and visual computer aids. The building includes a 250-seat performing arts auditorium, an art gallery, a training Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and a modern computer lab.
“Capers Hall has been a bedrock of this institution for seven decades. It has seen generations of leaders walk through its doors, armed with the skills and knowledge to make a meaningful impact on our society,” The Citadel Provost Sally Selden said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “As we stand in this new building today, it’s not just bricks and mortar we see, but the embodiment of a strategic vision—Our Mighty Citadel.”
Woolpert Vice President Andrew Pack said sustainability was a component in all phases of design and construction. Concrete, masonry, and stucco were saved during demolition and then crushed, recycled, and employed for the new building’s site foundation and parking area. A roof-mounted photovoltaic solar-panel system was installed to offset energy usage. The Citadel is pursuing LEED Silver certification.
Woolpert Project Manager David Welling said the design provides cadets and students with cutting-edge academic and arts facilities, while staying true to The Citadel’s iconic and historic campus.
“The building’s exterior seamlessly blends with the rest of the campus’ Moorish architecture through its white stucco façade and incorporation of the building’s original iron-frame light fixtures,” Welling said. “The exterior is beautiful, but the technology and interior details within are what truly make this new building so special. We are really looking forward to seeing how the cadets and faculty make use of their new spaces.”
About Woolpert
Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG), and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private, and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is a Global Top 100 Geospatial Company, a Top 100 ENR Global Design firm, earned six straight Great Place to Work certifications, and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity, and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been America’s fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. Woolpert has over 2,000 employees and more than 60 offices on five continents. For more, visit woolpert.com.
About The Citadel
The Citadel, with its iconic campus located in Charleston, South Carolina, offers a classic military college education for young men and women focused on leadership excellence and academic distinction. The approximately 2,300 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets are not required to serve in the military, but about one-third of each class earn commissions to become officers in every branch of U.S. military service. Citadel alumni have served the nation, their states, and their communities as principled leaders since 1842. The Citadel Graduate College, founded more than 50 years ago, offers dozens of graduate degree, graduate certificate, and evening undergraduate programs in the evening or online. Consecutively named Best Public College in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 12 years and No. 1 Best Public College for Veterans in the South for five years. Learn more about The Citadel here
