FEI property now known as Sycamore Hill

On August 1, the University of Virginia received a 14.5 acre property from the federal government for free after the White House decided to close an institution designed to train a competent bureaucracy.

“The site is approximately 13 acres and there are five buildings with 88 guest rooms, 11 classrooms, conference spaces, areas and dining rooms for a total of 92,000 square feet,” said Alice Raucher, the University of Virginia Architect.

On September 11, the Buildings and Grounds Committee agreed to rename the property that had been known as the Federal Executive Institute.

“We went through a process by sorting out a name because formally, FEI just didn’t ring true to us,” said J.J. Davis, UVA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “So temporarily, we went through the namings committee and we’d like to name it Sycamore Hill.”

Davis said that name has been selected because of a large presence of Sycamore trees.

“As a new University property along the northern route to Grounds, this hill is a prominent landmark,” reads a presentation to the committee. “Typically growing along streams and rivers and symbolic of resilience, strength, and protection, the sycamores are distinctive residents of the district and an apt namesake for the property.”

Davis said there will be an opportunity for a donor to name the property in the future. The site is being prepped to serve as the new headquarters for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

“We are doing some minor repairs, upgrading some of the safety, security, and IT assets,” Davis said. “As you know, it will be home for SCPs and starting with the criminal justice program as well as our ROTC program in spring semester.”

Both the University of Virginia and Charlottesville City Schools applied to take over the site from the Department of Education when the Federal Executive Institute was shuttered. Charlottesville was initially selected but the federal government later changed its mind and handed it over to UVA.

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