West Lafayette -
Between 2019 and 2024,
this single block near Purdue University underwent an incredible transformation (just look around on Google and use the timeline slider). Away went the gas station, the church, some single-family detached homes, and a few outdated low-rise apartment structures, replaced with towering "luxury" high-rise student housing, all built by mega real estate development companies geared towards student housing.
Upon its opening in 2019,
RISE on Chauncey (
100 S Chauncey Ave.) became the tallest tower in the city. At 16 stories / 167-ft / 458,000 SF, it cost $65 million and provides 283 apartments with 675 beds -
Source:
Knock Rentals
Adjacent to this,
HUB on Campus - also opened in 2019 at
111 S Salisbury St. - came in as the new 2nd tallest at 11 stories. It has 228 units / ~ 600 beds, and the estimated cost is $100 million -
Source:
apartments.com
The newest addition -
VERVE West Lafayette - opened just in time for the fall 2024 semester at
143 W. Wood St. While it is the squattest of the three (at just 7 stories), it filled the remaining 1/2 block. So at 400,000+ SF, what it lacks in height is made up for in floor area. And with 235 units / 751 beds, it actually houses the most students of all three buildings. I could not readily find reliable construction cost data, but based on the square footage and average unit price of similar projects in 2024, I'd estimate this to be around $70 million -
Source:
Verve West Lafayette