1515 is UVA's new gathering spot on the corner.
Since opening this spring, it's become the new hangout
and working space for students.
It harbors that kind of inclusiveness.
In the summer of 2015 this building,
which used to be the student bookstore went up for lease.
And the university acquired it with the idea
that there was a need for a space students can go hang out
and have a good time on the corner.
A lot of our projects there's clearly the decision maker
that's in charge.
This was completely unlike that.
The leadership made it clear, the students
were calling the shots.
The students on the steering committee
were involved in every aspect of the building,
right down to picking paint colors, floor plans
and layouts, and then the operational side of things,
towards the end, how this building will be managed
and how it'd would be run.
Each room has been designed to attract
a different crowd of people.
It's got that energy.
It feels very, very student run.
It's a place where students can be students.
You put all this work into the building,
but you don't know how it will be received.
I've seen so many people coming in until like 2:00 AM.
Each room, each floor, the cafe, everything has been put to use.
Every student I've talked to about it,
they all have suggestions for how
we can improve it and make it better
or make it more of a student space.
And that's really exciting.
And I think student input like that
is what will make the building evolve and continue
to get better.
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