The Homewood Campus continued its eastward expansion Friday as the University completed negotiations surrounding the purchase of the Charles and Blackstone apartment buildings.
The acquisition completes a contiguous block of real estate owned by the University along Charles Street between 33rd and 34th Streets.
In the short term there are no plans to renovate the buildings or make any other significant changes to their structure or operations, but administrators left such options open for long-term planning.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration James McGill notified the student body of the purchase via e-mail on Wednesday. "In the immediate future, the buildings will continue to be managed as market rental units, outside the student housing system," he noted. "Current leases for all tenants -- both students and others -- remain valid."
He added that there has thus far been no discussion regarding the removal of PJ's Pub from the basement of the Charles, as the establishment currently has a lease agreement with the owners.
"One need only look at the map of Hopkins to see how much it makes sense for us to try to acquire the buildings," Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost Paula Burger said.
She noted the University's desire to provide four-year housing for all students who want it, as stated in the report of the Commission on Undergraduate Education. The Charles and Blackstone buildings will supplement the new housing space offered by Charles Commons after its construction is completed in August.
"There aren't many vacant lots
around here," she said. "Given the location, the interest is clearly that these facilities would be nice to own because they are already contiguous to JHU property."
"It's the intent of the trustees to try to find and control more space for students. We're anxious to have more students in housing, which they need. That's been the goal of the Board of Trustees, and we've been working on it for a while," Mark Rubenstein said. Rubenstein is a member of the Board of Trustees and chairman of The Rubenstein Company.
A letter on Friday notified current residents of the buildings that the Charles and Blackstone were under new management.
Some employees of the buildings received the news with fear that they would be fired following the change in management, but McGill commented that he was aware of no plans at present to switch to a new staff.
"The people who work in the Blackstone and Charles now will continue to do so for the time being."
Though security has become one of the primary concerns of the administration since the murder of senior Linda Trinh in the Charles last year, it was not the primary motivation of the University's pursuit of the two buildings. The negotiations have been in the works for several years.
Due to Trinh's death, however, security will be one of the first issues addressed. "Of all the things one could imagine to be done, security will probably be chief among them," Burger said.
She added that this by no means suggests that security facilities in the buildings are not currently adequate. The management of the buildings carried out a thorough security inventory of each one following Trinh's death.
The University neared the completion of the purchase in November, but due to a confidentiality agreement between both parties, discussion about the deal was prohibited. By the middle of that month a letter of intent had been signed by the University, but the final contract had yet to be ironed out.
Upon completion of the arrangement, administrators expressed great delight with the University's progress.
McGill said, "Johns Hopkins has been and remains interested in ensuring the continued stability of our immediate neighborhood and in preserving our options for future campus development."
He added, "Over the long term ... these buildings could provide interesting options as we continue toward a comprehensive residential program that accommodates a variety of student needs."
