The College of Wooster has long been celebrated for the beauty of our natural setting and campus. In our strategic action plan, we have built on this heritage to embrace a vision of continuously cultivating in our campus environment our sense of place, where green space, community building, inquiry, well-being, and sustainability converge. Realizing this vision will take time; the College embraces the research, deep collaboration, imagination, planning, fundraising, iteration, and even construction dust, required to make it real.
The Abbey Arboretum at Wooster, established through a gift from Paul Abbey ’73 and Constance Norweb Abbey, and accreditation of our entire campus as an arboretum were the first tangible pieces of this effort coming to fruition. Now, the College will begin “Making Way for the Greenway,” an initiative that will ultimately connect the beauty of our campus with our nearest neighbors and provide an area to be enjoyed by our campus and the broader Wooster community alike. While still in its earliest stages of imagining, the college greenway is anticipated to provide both areas landscaped primarily for outdoor recreation and spaces where nature itself is the main attraction.
The next step in accomplishing this vision will involve the removal of 16 houses owned by the College at the southeast corner of campus. While no impact to neighborhood utilities is expected, in the event of any concerns or issues with your property’s utility service, please contact the City of Wooster’s engineers’ office at 330-263-5234.
We are committed to listening to our community, transparently communicating decisions and updates, and minimizing disruption related to the house removal process, as we make progress on the long-term vision that will benefit campus, neighbors, and the Wooster community alike.
Please see below for answers to some frequently asked questions. If you would like to receive updates on the house removal project, please fill out the form below, or send an email with your name and street address to greenwayneighbors@wooster.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the removal of these houses benefit our community?
- Making Way for the Greenway by removing houses no longer meeting needs will create fresh green spaces that will be developed over time to match our vision for the environment and community on campus. While still in its earliest stages of imagining, a college greenway that stretches southeast of the stadium and student center is anticipated to provide open green and outdoor recreational areas that bring together the College and broader Wooster communities.
- This plan also immediately benefits the College with savings of more than $6 million in deferred maintenance costs associated with basic repairs and about $75,000 in upkeep and annual operating costs.
Which houses or addresses are expected to be removed or cleared?
| House Name | House Address |
| Avery House | 558 Stibbs |
| Weber House | 574 Spink |
| McDavitt House | 924 Spink |
| Morris House | 930 Spink |
| Schlabach House | 936 Spink |
| Rickett House | 942 Spink |
| Howell House | 955 Spink |
| Frye House | 966 Spink |
| Hider Apartments | 561/561.5 E. University |
| Hider House | 578 E. University |
| Aultz House | 575/575.5 E. University |
| Stadium House | 629/629.5 E. University |
| Meyer House | 651 E. University |
| Grosjean House | 657 E. University |
| East End House | 723-725 E. University |
| Massaro House | 739 E. University |
How were these houses selected for removal?
- The houses being removed were selected based on location and an assessment of their current overall condition and remaining historical features, energy efficiency, potential for financially responsible rehabilitation, and potential for multiple uses.
What is the timeline?
- Weather permitting, our objective is for removal to be completed by the start of the new academic year in mid-August 2026.
- Removal of structures begins May 18. From May 18-June 30, the following houses will be removed: Avery, Weber, Massaro, Grosjean, East End Apartments, Meyer House, Stadium House, and Aultz House. The remaining houses will be staged for removal as the project moves forward.
- Each house is expected to take up to four days for removal, depending on the size of the house.
- A limited number of trees will also be removed to accommodate for the safe removal of the houses.
- Following removal of houses, the sites will be restored to grass through seeding. This will be a temporary measure, as the vision for various areas of the greenway takes shape.
How can I get updates on the house removal project?
- Please fill out the form above or email greenwayneighbors@wooster.edu to be added to the distribution for emailed updates. You can also check this FAQ page regularly for updates.
What pre-removal actions (applications, permits, title checks, surveys) will be completed for this work?
- Title checks, surveying, and permits are in process and have been completed for some houses already. Preparations include removing utility services. Proper EPA guidelines are being administered for any required abatement.
How will the removal of houses affect the neighborhood?
- As each house is removed there could be localized, short-term disruptions to traffic and parking (for example, short-term parking restrictions).
- Interruptions to neighborhood utilities are not anticipated. In the event of any concerns or issues with your property’s utility service, please contact the City of Wooster’s engineers’ office at 330-263-5234.
- Dust control measures, such as wetting, will be taken to minimize dust.
What will happen to furnishings and fixtures from affected houses?
- Furniture and fixtures have been offered as donations to Habitat for Humanity.
What are plans for rehousing affected students?
- Rehousing will not be needed. House removal will begin after the academic year, and students were not assigned to live in these houses over the summer or in the next school year.
- The Wooster Pipe Band currently using Frye House for practice and storage will use another College-owned home.
What is the future of College-owned homes not slated for removal at this time?
- The College will continue to evaluate our remaining houses, and over time we will invest in restoring historic and distinctive College houses.
What is the future vision for the areas where houses are being removed?
- The College will create an iconic and welcoming space with distinct areas that invite people to learn and enjoy recreation on our campus. While this vision is in very early stages, ideas such as interactive art, water features, pollinator gardens, research areas, recreational spaces, and other designs for activity, beauty, and vibrancy have been suggested. Students, faculty, staff, and community members will share ideas through ongoing conversations as plans move forward.
How can our campus and the broader Wooster community share ideas?
- The College will host an event in early June to bring together the campus, our neighbors, and members of the Wooster community to begin to share ideas and input.
- Ongoing work toward this vision will include a cross-functional group established at the College while pursuing philanthropic investment. Idea generation will be broad based, and students will play a major role in this process.
- The visioning process will be ongoing and execution will depend on philanthropy.
Have the houses been documented and features with historic value salvaged from the houses?
- Every site has been evaluated, and the house exteriors and interiors have been fully photographed for documentation.
I have a personal attachment to one of the houses being removed. Can I get inside?
- This generally cannot be permitted. Once the removal process has begun, entering the houses can be a safety concern.