UT San Antonio announced that Blanco Hall, the newest on-campus residential housing, is ready for students to occupy. The inaugural group of residents will move from Chisholm Hall to Blanco Hall, while Chisholm Hall undergoes renovation.
With four floors, Blanco Hall will house 600 students in single and double units. The new residence hall will have laundry rooms, study areas and a community kitchen. Blanco Hall will also have communal bathrooms, a change from Chisholm Hall’s private, in-room bathrooms.
The largest difference between the two residential halls is the room sizes. In Chisholm Hall — the oldest residential building on campus — the rooms are 365 square feet, including the bathroom. In Blanco Hall, the single units will be 87 square feet, and its double units will be 170 square feet.
Chisholm Hall residents received an email about the move on Nov. 4, detailing the plans for the dorm switch. In the email, they were informed that Chisholm Hall would be closed from January to August 2026. The dorm will undergo “significant improvements,” including repairing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, “to improve comfort and long-term reliability.”
The email also noted that there were no current health or safety issues in Chisholm Hall and that the renovation was planned.
Housing and Residence Life held a virtual town hall via Zoom on Nov. 5, where students could learn more and ask questions about the move. Following the meeting on Nov. 12, Chisholm Hall residents attended a housing event, “Harvest Your Home,” where they selected their preferences for either a single or double unit and their ideal room placement. Housing assignments were then sent out to residents on Nov. 14, informing students whether they got a single or double unit and their room location.
The Paisano interviewed two Chisholm Hall residents, first-year architecture major Anella Mason and second-year kinesiology rehab science major Vincent Chau, on their thoughts regarding the move to Blanco Hall.
“When I first heard about it, I was excited because Chisholm is the oldest dorm at UTSA. I was like, ‘Wow, we get a brand new dorm. Everything is going to be clean. Everything is going to be amazing,’ but then I heard everything is going to be shrinking in size, and that made me upset,” Chau said when asked about his initial reaction to the email sent to him.
In Blanco Hall, Mason will get a single unit, and Chau will move into a double unit.
Mason expressed her worry regarding the lack of a private bathroom and the moving process.
“I’m concerned about not having a private bathroom and about the decrease in room size. Even though I am getting a single, my room is still going to be way smaller,” Mason stated.
When asked about the drawbacks to Blanco Hall, Chau emphasized the amount of time it will take to walk from Main Campus to the dorm.
“The distance, [Blanco Hall] is going to be the furthest dorm from campus, so that’s going to be quite a walk,” Chau said.
When asked about what he is looking forward to about the new dorm, Chau highlighted the lack of mold.
“It’s the bare minimum, but it’s so exciting not to get mold in your AC vents,” Chau said.
Both Chau and Mason wished that UT San Antonio had informed them of the potential move before they selected their housing and signed the housing contract.
“They could have told everybody before the beginning of the school year, before everybody signed up for this dorm, thinking they would be able to stay here for a school year,” Mason said. She also added that they should not be forcing them to pack up during finals week.
Chisholm Hall residents will have the choice to self-move to Blanco Hall on Dec. 11-12, or professional movers will move items from Dec. 15-19. Blanco Hall will officially open on Dec. 15.
