MORGANTOWN — If you drive by WVU’s Fieldcrest Hall on Van Voorhis Road, you may glimpse a sign out front that says “Auction.”
In the bustle of traffic, you may not be able to keep your head turned long enough to read that what’s up for auction is stuff inside the former dorm.
Randy Hudak, WVU senior associate vice president for Facilities and Services, explained this week that there are no plans for the building at this point; they’re just clearing it out. Student Life has already pulled out what it wants to keep and the leftovers are now for sale.
It’s an online auction, Hudak said, conducted by auctioneer Joe R. Pyle.
The website — http://joerpyleauctions.com — gives the details. The actual auction date is May 10, with bids closing at 6 p.m. There will be a preview from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday for potential bidders to inspect the wares. Pickup will run May 14-16 and everything will be dismantled and disconnected.
Items for sale include furniture, such as leather and cloth couches and bunk beds; restaurant equipment, such as warming tables and prep tables; appliances, such as ranges and refrigerators; and miscellaneous items, such as an outdoor shed, a ping pong table and mailboxes.
In 2015, The Dominion Post reported that WVU was considering demolishing the Medical Center Apartments and the 212-bed Fieldcrest in order to make room for a hotel/conference center project.
Hudak said that idea is off the table.
Last week, The Dominion Post reported that the Board of Governors authorized WVU to enter into a lease agreement with WVU Hospitals for land now occupied by and adjacent to the Medical Center Apartments. The apartments will be demolished to make room for a 400-space parking lot. In exchange for covering demolition costs, WVU Hospitals will lease the land at a minimal cost.
The future of the Fieldcrest site is undetermined, Hudak said, but it’s a nice location for some type of structure.
In 2003, The Dominion Post reported that WVU had entered into a five-year, lease-to-own agreement with then-owner Glenmark Holdings to deal with a student housing shortage. For three years prior, WVU had to book rooms at a nearby hotel to handle the overflow of freshmen typical at the start of each school year.
Before becoming a dorm, it was known as The Madison, a retirement and assisted-living facility. That facility is now on Baker’s Ridge Road.
