MSU Building Plans Will Reshape Campus
- Montana State University said two major academic buildings, Jones Hall and Gianforte Hall, are on track to open in Bozeman for fall 2026. - The reshaping goes beyond new classrooms: MSU also plans west-side house demolitions, a Marsh Lab teardown and S. 6th Avenue demolitions totaling millions. - The buildout follows record enrollment of 17,165 students in fall 2025 and a yearslong campus expansion. (montana.edu)
Montana State University says Jones Hall and Gianforte Hall are both slated to open on the Bozeman campus for fall 2026. (kbzk.com) (montana.edu) Jones Hall will house the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing in Bozeman, at the corner of 11th and Grant. The project is part of a five-campus nursing expansion funded by a $101 million gift from Mark and Robyn Jones. (kbzk.com) (montana.edu) Gianforte Hall will become the home of the Gianforte School of Computing, plus music technology, film and photography. MSU says the three-story building is backed by a $50 million gift from the Gianforte Family Foundation and is scheduled to open in fall 2026. (kbzk.com) (montana.edu) The campus changes are not limited to new buildings. A local TV report said demolition of the university’s West Side Houses is expected this summer as construction season ramps up. (kxlf.com) (montana.edu) State planning documents show other teardown work in the pipeline on the Bozeman campus. Montana University System materials list an estimated $2.39 million for Marsh Lab demolition and $550,000 for demolition at 1102 and 1106 South 6th Avenue. (mus.edu) MSU’s January 14, 2026 Board of Regents agenda also included a request to plan and design housing improvements in Bozeman. That suggests the housing changes now underway are part of a broader redevelopment push, not a one-off summer project. (mus.edu) The pressure behind the buildout is enrollment. Montana State enrolled a record 17,165 students in fall 2025, including 15,142 undergraduates and 2,023 graduate students. (montana.edu) MSU says it has added more than 4,000 students over the past decade and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in campus infrastructure. Recent projects include a new pedestrian mall, a $60 million Student Wellness Center and Hyalite Hall, which opened in 2020 for student housing. (montana.edu) For students and neighbors, the immediate effect is a campus that will look different by the start of the fall 2026 semester. New nursing and computing buildings are rising as older housing and lab space come down. (kbzk.com) (mus.edu)
