photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

Naismith Hall is shown from the western side of the building on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.

If you’ve recently driven along the southern edge of the University of Kansas near 19th Street and Naismith Drive and noticed an empty parking lot beneath the towering Naismith Hall, that’s partly because the building has been closed for renovation.

Partly, that is, because KU also chose not to renew its master lease with the residence hall; the space inside the privately-owned building is no longer needed, KU spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson told the Journal-World in an email. Barcomb-Peterson said planning done by the university to determine housing needs this school year concluded that when Lewis Hall reopened this fall, renewing the lease with Naismith — which expired in July — was not necessary.

That should explain the empty parking lot, as well as the signs on the front doors of the building that read “NAISMITH HALL IS CLOSED DUE TO RENOVATION.”

photo by: Dmitry Martirosov/Journal-World

A sign posted on the front doors of Naismith Hall, alerting people that the building is closed for renovation, is seen on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.

It is not clear how long Naismith Hall will remain closed or what is included in the renovation. The current owner of the building is listed in Douglas County records as 1800 Naismith Drive LLC with a mailing address in Boston.

The Journal-World was not able to reach the company as of Thursday afternoon.

KU leased Naismith Hall in 2023 to meet increased demand resulting from the university’s largest freshman class enrollment that fall. The 10-story, dormitory style residence hall has 504 bed spaces sitting on nearly 3 acres of land. KU has allotted an average of $5.1 million per year in expenditures toward the building over the previous two fiscal years.

In 2024, 1800 Naismith Drive LLC purchased the building from the previous owner, New York-based Emres II Kansas LLC, for $28.9 million — the third owner in a dozen years.

Student housing has been top of mind for KU in recent years. The school continues to see enrollment grow year after year. Last fall, the university broke its overall enrollment record for the second straight year when a total of 31,169 students attended the school — nearly 400 more than the previous year. (KU has also since surpassed its 2023 freshman class enrollment record — which stood at 5,259 students — when 5,323 students became the newest Jayhawks in fall 2024.)

Last fall, 71% of all first-time freshmen resided in university-owned, operated, or affiliated housing.