Roseville lot purchase adds to Hillsdale College’s Placer County campus plans
Hillsdale College is expanding into the capital region with plans for a campus in Placer County and the purchase of a downtown Roseville property.
Hillsdale already owns the Tower Theater and hosts events there. The Michigan-based private college recently purchased a quarter-acre vacant lot next to the theater at 431 Vernon St. in Roseville.
The college has been using the venue for speaker-style events and plans to host them about once a month. Four years ago, the city of Roseville sold the theater to the private college with the condition that it remain available for arts events.
Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, the property’s land developer, set a condition in 1989 that the theater remain an arts event center. Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, his son, is a Hillsdale College board member and advocate for higher education in the Sacramento region.
Emily Davis, a spokesperson for Hillsdale, said the school has renovated the theater and already hosted three events there. Their goal is to host 12 programs each year. The building can hold up to 257 people.
“These initial events will also help us to determine if there is enough demand to build an educational outreach center on the 13 acres in Placer County,” she said.
Bruno Cortes, a spokesperson for the college, said the land next to the theater was purchased to provide operational flexibility and improve the guest experience.
“Now we can make the drop-off and pickup of guests, catering logistics and parking as convenient as possible,” he said. “We are excited to be in Roseville and excited to host many more events in the Tower Theater.”
While no specific timeline was given, the college officials said they plan to establish an educational center in unincorporated Placer County on the outside of Roseville.
School officials said the educational center would support training for teachers, administrators and board members at K-12 schools affiliated with the college’s network. It could also include additional office space and a visitor center open to prospective students of all ages.
The 1,100-acre property was purchased for $5.8 million from the University Development Foundation, a nonprofit created by the Tsakopoulos family to build a college campus along with housing and commercial development.
The campus is expected to cover about 650 acres, according to previous Bee reporting. It could serve up to 6,000 students and include more than 1,100 student housing units.
Hillsdale sought a development partner in 2022 to oversee the remaining land, which would be devoted to commercial and residential use. It is unclear whether a partner has been selected.
Davis said the remaining land outside the educational center will be developed and sold, with net proceeds dedicated to the college.
John Fletcher Brooks, Hillsdale’s assistant director of communications and research, said the school also envisions the possibility of a K-12 school in the area. A location for the school has not been determined and may require the purchase of additional land.
“Realization of these plans will depend on a number of factors, including development of adjacent land — which would also extend utilities to the site — additional donor support, and community demand for the programs offered,” he said. “The College has been encouraged by their interactions with Placer County to date, and appreciates the professionalism and cooperation of county personnel throughout the process.”
Hillsdale is known for its conservative curriculum. The school does not accept federal or state financial aid, a policy it says allows it to operate independently of government regulation.
If built, Hillsdale would become the third college in Placer County, joining Jessup University in Rocklin and Sierra College. Jessup University is a private Christian college, while Sierra College is a community college.
Sacramento State also is planning a presence in Placer County, developing a satellite campus in partnership with Sierra College. The west Roseville campus, at Sunset Boulevard and Fiddyment Road near Thunder Valley Casino Resort, will serve students from both schools.
