Baker College To Open 86,000-Square-Foot Campus In Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK, MI — Baker College will be opening an 86,000-square-foot metro Detroit campus in Royal Oak, college president Bart Daig announced Monday.

The planned seven-story Baker College Royal Oak campus will be located at 420 S. Lafayette Ave., at the intersection of S. Lafayette and 5th Avenue, school officials said. The $51 million project recently broke-ground, with students scheduled to arrive on-campus for the start of the 2022 academic year.

“We have spent a great deal of time and effort on our journey to find the perfect new home for Baker College in Oakland County, and are confident that downtown Royal Oak offers everything we need, want and more,” Baker College COO Jacqui Spicer said. “We are thrilled to be joining Royal Oak’s vibrant and diverse community, and look forward to contributing to its continued growth and reputation as a premier place to live, work, play and learn.”

The new location — which will be designed to accommodate approximately 1,500 undergraduate and graduate students — will incorporate flexible and connected classrooms, laboratories and interactive, collaborative study and gathering spaces for students, faculty and employees, school officials said. The site also will include on-site parking.

College officials said the new facility’s design will feature sustainable materials, a brick and glass exterior façade and outdoor terrace spaces. The project team partners include architecture firm Edge Design Associates of Ann Arbor and Colasanti Construction Services Inc. of Macomb.

You can see renderings of the new facility here.

"We applaud Baker College's investment in our downtown and look forward to welcoming its staff and students for many years to come," Royal Oak Mayor Mike Fournier said.

The Royal Oak campus will join Baker College campuses across Michigan, including campuses in Auburn Hills, Cadillac, Jackson, Muskegon and Owosso.