The Mason Spirit

Widely appreciated by the student body for its secluded, social atmosphere, Patriot Village—a student housing community located behind the PE Building on the Fairfax Campus—is no more.

With the construction of new on-campus housing, Patriot Village was no longer needed, so this summer, the module apartments were dismantled and hauled away after nearly 25 years of service. The few modules that remain will be used for administrative purposes.

The neighborhood consisted of 17 modules and 100 suite-style housing units. At full occupancy, which was often the case, the community housed 226 upperclass students. When the units were put in place in summer 1984, they were intended to be temporary. But over time, they became a seemingly permanent subdivision.

Plans to remove them had been in the works for roughly 15 years, according to Jana Hurley, executive director of Housing and Residence Life. “For as long as people can remember, every year was going to be the year they were going to come down,” she says.

The improved housing infrastructure at Mason isn’t the only reason Patriot Village finally found its way onto the chopping block. A new road will soon be built close to where the units once stood, connecting Route 123 to the future Hotel and Conference Center. The road will also create direct access to Patriot Circle from Route 123.