UNC-Chapel Hill's crumbling, sunken central plaza known as The Pit is set for a redesign, and the university's undergraduate admissions office is set to move into a new welcome center attached to the George Watts Hill Alumni Center. The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees budget committee approved $5.5 million in advanced spending for the alumni center project on Wednesday, with the full board expected to vote on the plan Thursday.
The redesign of The Pit is not merely cosmetic. As reported by The News & Observer, the sunken plaza suffers from stormwater and accessibility problems tied to its bowl-like design, along with undesirable foot-traffic patterns and dying trees. University Landscape Architect Daniel Widis presented the case for transformative change to the budget committee, and according to Chapelboro.com, Widis explained that the original terracotta drainage pipes installed beneath The Pit in the late 1960s have been crushed by tree roots, causing severe drainage failures that can no longer be patched without tearing up the existing brickwork and roots. The disruptive excavation required for a new drainage system led the university to reimagine the space.
From Muddy Basin to Modern Plaza
The Pit's troubled drainage traces back to its origin story. In spring 1969, the area was called a “big, ugly mud hole,” and it was bricked over that fall. The News & Observer notes that the plaza remains one of the highest-traffic locations on campus today, which is part of why officials are treating its overhaul as urgent.
Widis envisions a single level of paving to replace the current sunken layout, per the same account. The university plans to plant between seven and nine new trees and install permanent tables, with the goal of creating what officials describe as a more useful and dynamic space for students. The project is estimated to cost between $8 million and $10 million, and UNC-Chapel Hill plans to hire a construction logistics firm to help minimize disruption once work begins.
A New Front Door for Admissions
The second project moving forward is a welcome center addition to the George Watts Hill Alumni Center, which will also become the new home for undergraduate admissions. The addition would establish a clear point of arrival while maintaining the identity of the alumni center and the Carolina Club, and has been described as “a lantern in the trees,” according to the same News & Observer report. The welcome center will serve as the primary starting point for prospective student visits and campus tours, featuring a dual-level lobby and adjacent outdoor areas.
Building the addition will require removing some trees, though the university plans to maintain the wooded landscape surrounding the new structure. Howard Wertheimer, associate vice chancellor for facilities services, said he is unaware of any plan for the existing visitor center on Franklin Street. The alumni center renovation will be funded through Alumni Foundation dollars and philanthropy rather than tuition or state funds.
Admissions Leaves an Aging Student Union
Undergraduate admissions currently operates out of the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. The union was named for Frank Porter Graham, who served as president of the Consolidated University of North Carolina from 1932 to 1949. Before landing there, admissions was long housed in 83-year-old Jackson Hall, which UNC-Chapel Hill has outlined plans to demolish starting this year to build a 600- to 700-bed student residence hall, according to documentation posted on Change.org. Jackson Hall was named for Dr. Blyden Jackson, UNC's first Black tenured faculty member, and Dr. Roberta Jackson, its first Black tenure-track faculty member.
The George Watts Hill Alumni Center itself is slated for a renovation, with plans to maintain the identity of the Carolina Club.
A Donor-Driven Vision Years in the Making
The push to remake The Pit traces back to a gift from UNC alumnus Frank Proctor and his wife, Ellen, whose donation launched the redesign initiative, according to UNC Giving. Proctor, a 1985 graduate and former student journalist, has cited his frequent use of The Pit during his college years as the inspiration behind the gift.
These two projects fit into a broader pattern of facility and service overhauls unfolding across UNC-Chapel Hill this year. Hoodline previously reported that UNC Health took over many student health services, and students now use the MyChart system to manage appointments. Together with the Pit and alumni center plans, these moves signal a university administration actively reshaping campus infrastructure heading into the coming years.
