The Elon University School of Law in downtown Greensboro will expand its campus to make room for additional classrooms, office space and student organization workspace, according to a release from the Office of University Communications.  The renovations are scheduled to be complete by August 2012, before the start of the fall semester.

The law school will renovate three buildings within a half block of the law school and a 5,700-square-foot commercial property at 101 West Friendly Avenue.

"With our clinical and other academic programs expanding and student organizations increasing in number and activities, we realized that we needed additional space within which they could operate and thrive," said Alan Woodlief, associate dean of the Elon University School of Law.

The three buildings, which were purchased in December, are located at 218 and 219 Friendly Ave. and 208 Commerce Place. Tentative plans for the building at 218 Friendly Ave., which is 1,200 square feet, include offices for law clinics and student organization workspace.  Elon has no immediate plans for the development of the other two properties.

Growth in faculty and course offerings have also indicated a need for additional classroom space and offices, Woodlief said.

A 40-student classroom, study rooms, a student commons and a new Career Center will be constructed in the space at 101 West Friendly Ave. This space has been used in recent years for law student organization workspace.

Three adjoining warehouse buildings purchased in 2011 will be demolished this year to allow for the development of open space with grass and plants while long-term plans are developed. The warehouse buildings, built in the 1920s and 1930s, are located at 234 Commerce Place, 240 Commerce Place and 209 Bellemeade St.

The law school, which opened in 2006 in the former Greensboro Public Library, is no stranger to expansion. In 2009, Elon opened a Clinical Law Center at 210 West Friendly Ave. after renovating the 2,142 square feet of office space. During the winter term, this center was renovated once more to allow clinics occupying the space to operate more efficiently.

Stay with The Pendulum for more information as it becomes available.