The University of South Carolina (USC) board of trustees on June 19 approved Phase I of a plan to expand and renovate the Russell House facility, which currently serves as the Columbia campus student union. The approval advances a multiphase project estimated at $250 million that could run as long as five years.
The approval moves the project into its initial stages and into a funded status under the university’s USC Next master plan.
The plan calls for replacing the Russell House’s aging west wing and the nearby Thomson Building, which sits across from the Bull Street parking garage. In their place, the plan calls for adding a larger ballroom, more room for student organizations and additional dining capacity.
According to officials, the Russell House will remain open during renovation. They note that several vendors in the building, including credit unions, a post office, retail and dining, will be moving to new locations on South Main Street. This would free up space in the newly renovated student union, while also bolstering USC’s ongoing Main Street development efforts.
The university describes the Russell House as one of the smallest student unions in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Beyond the new construction, the work would tackle needed maintenance in the building’s oldest sections, modernizing it both functionally and architecturally while also making its layout easier to navigate.
The effort stems from a 2023 study that found the union needed to grow by about 50%, from about 200,000 to about 300,000 square feet. It also found that fully replacing the building was not a practical option, which pointed the university toward renovation and expansion.
USC plans to pay for the project with state institution bonds, which are backed by a pledge of tuition fee revenues. To cover the debt, the board approved a $150 per-semester student union expansion fee as part of the 2026-2027 budget, taking effect this fall.
Before USC can bring on an architect and finalize the design, the project needs approval from the South Carolina Joint Bond Review Committee and the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. According to officials, the earliest that is likely to happen is October.
Only after those sign-offs can the university move to select an architect and begin refining the project’s scope ahead of later construction work. Officials note that Phase I design alone could take up to a year.
The Russell House vote was one of several actions the board took June 19. The board also extended the in-state tuition freeze for an eighth straight year and advanced about $24.4 million for a new Civil Rights Center on the site of the former Booker T. Washington High School.
Photo by Jayson Delos Santos from Pexels
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