The estimated $30 million new residence hall is set to begin construction in Dec. just as several other projects around campus are on their way to completion.
Bids for construction on Ralph and Trish Nagel Hall are due in November and construction is set to begin sometime during December, with plans to open the residence hall to students in fall 2008.
The buildings that previously stood where Nagel will go up have been razed and the land cleared in preparation for construction.
Nagel will be located next to Nelson Hall, just west of the HRTM building. Its design is similar to Nelson’s.
It will have five residence floors and a garden level (a half-way sunken basement, like the one in University Hall or the level of the Driscoll Student Center).
The difference between Nelson and Nagel halls is primarily conceptual, each intended to attract a different kind of student.
“Nelson is a destination where as [Nagel] is more of a crossroads,” said University Architect Mark Rodgers.
Instead of a dining hall, Nagel will house an Einstein’s Bagels and two Sodexho food-court-style dining options called Pandini’s brick oven pizza and Salsa Rico’s.
The idea is for the three options to overlap each other’s hours, with Einstein’s open early, Salsa Rico’s open in the middle of the day and Pandini’s open late.
The new dining option is supposed to complement the current dining options in Centennial Halls, Nelson Hall and the Driscoll Student Center. According to Rodgers they are “all meant to augment one another.”
Other projects on campus include finishing the parking garage near the corner of Evans Avenue and High Street.
Two levels have already been finished but the other levels need to be completed, as well as the new Campus Safety and Parking Services building which will allow centralization of safety and parking.
“I think they haven’t really had a permanent home since I’ve been here, which is almost 15 years,” said Jeff Bemelen, director of Facilities Management.
Construction in Johnson-McFarlane Hall will result in a lounge for residents and add classrooms and offices for the College of Education.
Several future projects are being discussed, although official timelines have yet to be finalized. Marjory Reed Hall, and eventually the Mary Reed building, will be renovated to modernize the buildings.
Penrose Library will also most likely be renovated. All of these projects will be phased in to enable the departments housed in them to continue operating.
