When most people think of college, they probably do not think of getting married and settling down.
That has not always been the case, however.
According to a 1981 Glomerata, 16 to 18 percent of the student body was married just three decades ago.
Until recently, Caroline Draughon Village served as housing for married Auburn students.
Jeffrey Dumars, assistant director of campus planning and space management, said the space is not currently being used.
"As of right now, the buildings are empty," Dumars said. "In the intermediate term, some sort of surface parking might be built. In the long term, it has been designated for on-campus housing."
The buildings were named in honor of Caroline Draughon, wife of the University's 10th president, Ralph Brown Draughon, in 1959.
During her time as first lady of Auburn University, Draughon made a lasting impact on the lives of married students.
As Auburn's enrollment increased following World War II, Draughon began to notice an increase in married students. She also realized many male students had working wives helping them pay their way through school.
Draughon began the Dame's Club to provide a way for those spouses to be involved in college life. Before each graduation, she held a special ceremony, where she presented each graduate's wife with a "PHT" (Pushing Hubby Through) degree.
The buildings were in use until the Village Community was built in 2009.
Like the Haley Center, there have been rumors of asbestos in Caroline Draughon Village.
Dan King, assistant vice president of facilities management, said that is a common occurrence in older buildings.
"A lot of old buildings have asbestos and mold, and that is pretty standard," King said. "You just have to go and eliminate both, as well as any other hazardous materials, before you demolish them. We have done that on other buildings we have had to demolish."
According to King, facilities management has a plan for Caroline Draughon Village.
"They are abandoned at the moment," King said. "They are not being used for student housing. So, the master plan would have at some point, probably within the next five to 10 years, the buildings being demolished."
Jim Carroll, Auburn's capital project program architect, said even though the buildings have not housed students in quite some time, they have served other purposes.
"The building doesn't serve a primary person right now," Carroll said. "We have used Caroline Draughon Village for swing space. Occasionally, if we need to relocate certain things for a short period of time, we will use that area. For example, when we relocated the facilities management building, there were about 20 to 25 of us that moved into Caroline Draughon Village temporarily."
According to Carroll, the buildings are beginning to show signs of aging.
"We go through a lot of buildings on campus," Carroll said. "Eventually they get to the end of their serviceable life, and Caroline Draughon Village went through that a couple years ago."
Although plans for the area have not been finalized, Carroll said there are some ideas.
"The space is a good location for additional parking," Carroll said. "But it is also could be used for additional student housing. It is just at the right location."
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