St. Louis University is moving its law school eight miles from the main campus into the city’s downtown, the school announced.
The 1,100-student school will start the 2012-2013 academic year in the new 260,000-square-foot building.
The building is a gift from Joe and Loretta Scott, and will be named after the couple. Joe Scott is founder and owner of Scott Properties, which owns and manages more than 2 million square feet of office, medical, retail and warehouse space in the St. Louis region.
The move will bring students closer to the legal community. It is located next door to the Civil Courts and within walking distance of the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse and many of the region’s most prestigious law firms.
“I am extremely excited that our new home will be in the heart of where law is practiced in our great city,” said Annette Clark, dean of the law school. “This move will strengthen our ties with St. Louis’ legal community and will offer our students new opportunities to enhance their educational experience.”
The 11-story building features a ground-floor auditorium, three-story parking garage and seven useable floors. The university had been working for several years to raise $35 million to expand its existing building.
“The interior is essentially a blank canvas, which means that we can develop the flexible, multipurpose, technology-centric spaces we need to support how legal education is being taught today,” Clark said.
Other law schools with off-campus buildings include Boston College, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Loyola University Chicago and the University of Detroit-Mercy.
