This quonset hut, like all others, was built for war use and then doled out to other government bodies or sold to private industry after the war had passed.
It was still on campus when I arrived. That building to the side I don't recall, but this drill field is no more. The plans for its demise were developed during my time in school and were implemented soon thereafter. The fields became a parking lot and, soon, a new student housing complex.
The Village, will boast 1,680 beds in the super-suite format, with two students per bathroom and a mini-kitchen. Common areas, study areas, on-hand counselor staff and energy efficiency are all included in the plans.
Basically you'll have upscale college-town apartments coming to campus. This is a big selling point for the near- and medium-future of student recruitment, as campus housing hasn't been a strong suit since, well, right about this time in the University's past.
Progress is paving: This is at least the second drill field that Auburn has built, used and redeveloped into greater things. Perhaps you've seen this picture from 1918. That's the old drill field and the old football field, which, of course came to be the home of Ross Hall, Foy Union, Tichenor Hall, Broun Hall and Thach Hall. That's the path of Thach Avenue, which in recent years has been reworked into a beautiful pedestrian area that intersects the famous Concourse.
In time the entire student body will grow accustomed to this new housing complex as an institutional thing. The word "new" will wear off as a name and then as an adjective until, finally, no one will use it any more. This will take less than eight years.
The place where this student is standing currently is a parking lot for an SUV.
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