College to provide guidance for bidding on elements of $50 million Capers Hall Replacement Project

The Citadel will begin demolishing Capers Hall in the summer of 2021. The Capers Hall Replacement Project will cost $68 million. Of that amount, $50 million will go toward construction. It will be the largest construction project in the history of the college.

“This is an important project for The Citadel community and for the broader Charleston community. We intend for at least 10% of the work on the new Capers Hall to be awarded to minority contractors,” said Shawn Edwards, chief diversity officer for The Citadel. The Capers Hall Replacement project, and the goal of achieving a 10% minority contractor rate are both incorporated into the college’s strategic plan, Our Mighty Citadel 2026.

Edwards and representatives from the college’s Departments of Finance, and Facilities and Engineering are working together to grow the number of minority contractors the college has as resources to bid on services and projects, including the Capers Hall Replacement Project. One of the ways they are doing this is by hosting The Citadel Minority Contractor Information Session with several community partners including the Hispanic Business Association Charleston, the National Action Network Southeast chapter, and the Charleston Trident Urban League.

The college also has a program to increase the number of Veteran contractors, and plans to conduct similar events for Veterans.

About the session

The Citadel Minority Contractor Information Session will be held from 5:30 – 7p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the college’s Altman Center, which is the building at the end of the football stadium facing Fishburne St. The address is 68C Hagood Ave., and there is complimentary parking just outside of the building.

The session is open to all minority contractors in South Carolina.

Registration for in-person attendance is requested, but not required, by calling Nate Spells, Jr. at (803) 754-3395, extension 316, or by emailing cdi@cdi-sc.com.

The session can be attended virtually by registering at this link.

In 2019, Edwards began working with community partners to develop a list of minority contractors in the Lowcountry and the state. She says there are 25 now, and there is plenty of room for growth.

“We would like to engage many more minority contractor and suppliers. You do not need to be certified by the state to come to the session or to bid on some of the smaller projects. And, if you wish to become certified, The Citadel has plans to help you through that process.”

According to Edwards, helping minority contractors navigate the state procurement process benefits The Citadel and the state, because those contractors can subsequently bid on other state projects, increasing competition, which helps control costs.

More information about the session is in the flyer below:

Details on the Capers Hall Replacement Project

At least 75% of cadet and students at The Citadel take classes in Capers Hall at some point during their educations. It houses the college’s largest school, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which includes seven academic departments providing many required general education courses.

Constructed in the 50s and updated in the 70s, the building is the largest on campus. It cannot be affordably or effectively retrofitted for contemporary needs. The replacement project was approved by the city in 2020.

“The Citadel is a public college, we’re an iconic part of the Charleston city community and we want this to be an inviting space. This facility is going to be consistent with the Moorish design elements for which our campus is known,” said Col. John Dorrian, USAF (Ret), vice president of Communications and Marketing. “It will become the welcoming point for everyone entering Lesesne Gates.”

The Capers Hall replacement will be 40% larger than the current building. Some of the features will include 37 classrooms, 200 offices, collaborative work spaces and a 250-seat theater. Current plans call for Capers Hall to be demolished in June 2021 and for construction to be complete on the new building in 2023.