Caroline Draughon Village, located near the resident overflow parking lot, has been abandoned since The Village dormitories were built in 2009.
The building will likely one day be torn down to make room for a parking lot, said Dan King, assistant vice president of Facilities Management, to The Plainsman in 2014.
The only documented mention of the lot is on page 20 of the Executive Summary of Facilities Management’s Master Plan.
The ground on which CDV stands could provide an estimated 900 parking spaces for event parking, according to the plan.
But the fate of CDV is still up in the air.
There have recently been rumors of asbestos in CDV. That’s common in old buildings, though, according to King.
“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.”
CDV was originally housing for married students.
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, Caroline became invested in the lives of married students.
As Auburn’s enrollment increased following World War II, Caroline began to notice an increase in married students.
She also realized many male students had working wives helping them pay for school.
Caroline began the Dame’s Club to provide a way for 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.
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