Construction of the chancellor’s new home is complete; “The Point”, as it is referred to, sits beside Lake Raleigh as a modern yet classic home.
The idea for The Point was created in 2010, the same year Chancellor Woodson stepped into office. The old Chancellor’s Residence off Hillsborough Street, which has housed the University’s highest officials for 80 years, will become the new location for the Gregg museum.
“The main thing is that [the old residence] was constrained on it’s ability of what it needed to do,” Kevin MacNaughton , Head of Facilities and project manager for the Chancellor’s Residence said.
As project manager, MacNaughton led the team that built the new residence, which took a year and a half and $3 million to build. He stressed the importance of the home, which was funded by private donations.
“The historic house, while a nice home, didn’t have large open spaces. It also lacked sufficient parking,” MacNaughton said, “The place where the chancellor and his family live is really more than a home.”
MacNaughton said that changes on Hillsborough Street and 80 years of constant living, among other things, sparked the need for a new residence.
Nick Murphy, sophomore in chemical engineering, said that regardless of where the money is coming from, it could have been spent better elsewhere.
“I don’t really agree with making a new Chancellor’s mansion,” Murphy said, “it’s kind of tucked away and it’s only enjoyable for the chancellor. He [already] had a pretty nice mansion on Hillsborough Street.”
Murphy said that the timing of The Point’s creation was inappropriate, considering budget cuts and tuition increases.
MacNaughton explained that the new Chancellor’s Residence is relevant to students, as it is a place where the chancellor can host gatherings, which makes the home also representative of the school as a whole.
“The important thing that they need to know is that this house was funded exclusively from donations made from individuals who are supporters of the University,” MacNaughton said.
Even though it came at a high cost, the Chancellor’s Residence was created using local, energy efficient materials, some of which came at a discount.
“It has a geothermal cooling and heating system, it has LED lighting donated by CREE, which actually emanated from our N.C. State labs.” MacNaughton said.
There are a lot of local connections with the residence; the wood used comes from the southern yellow pine, which normally is not capable of home use. MacNaughton explained that to use the wood, it had to be treated in a special manner to keep it from warping.
“We didn’t have to ship [the wood] long distance, so it was very sustainable using a renewable resource here in North Carolina,” MacNaughton said.
The trim for the house comes from a forest on N.C. State’s campus, and local contractors were hired to build the home.
“A lot of our ability to build the house came from the fact that we had contractors and vendors who provided materials at a deep discount,” MacNaughton said.
Matthew Andrews, residence coordinator of the chancellor’s new home, explained that as the last residence served as a reliable home, the new residence is built with the same excellence.
“It is a well-built home that will last the next 80 years,” Andrews said.
Andrews explained that in the time that Chancellor Woodson has lived in his new home, the largest event held at the residence so far contained 175 people.
The public space that makes up the first floor and outdoor portions of the home create a great environment for events that benefit the university, Andrews said.
“It’s a place of pride. It is a place that is going to be much more efficient for the chancellor and the things that he wants to do there.”
