Rollins Dining Hall gets a makeover
The renovation is set to cost $39 million.
Published July 7, 2009
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Construction can be seen at Rollins Dining Hall as crews prepare for its renovation in January. The renovation of Rollins is phase three of the five-phase plan to upgrade all residence halls on campus.
Renovations to Rollins Dining Hall will begin January 2010, one month earlier than Residential Life's Master Plan stated it would, launching phase three of the five-phase master plan to improve or upgrade all residence halls on campus.
"The master plan has been a very exciting and challenging process that involves many stakeholders and spans a number of years," Campus Dining Services spokeswoman Julaine Kiehn said. "The most rewarding part has been providing students with valuable and memorable campus experiences that will positively affect them for their entire lives."
Rollins will remain open for service for fall 2009 and will open back up in August 2010 upon completion of the planned projects. Campus Dining Services' $2.2 million renovation involves many improvements, including a new northwest entryway.
The Rollins renovations are included in the Rollins/Hudson renovation project and the work on both buildings will take place at the same time. Hudson and Gillett Residence Halls are each seven stories and share Rollins as a common area. The new entryway will allow Rollins to set its operating hours separately from that of Gillett and Hudson. The total cost for all renovation being made to Rollins, Gillett and Hudson will total $39 million according to Residential Life's online timeline.
Kiehn said despite the Rollins update in 2006, there are several things needing further attention. For accessibility issues, a second elevator will be built in the new entryway in addition to the elevator already in place. Public restrooms will be added to the second floor, and the cashier stations will be relocated.
Some additional renovations are being made in areas the everyday customer might not always see. A new loading dock for delivery trucks will be built and the freight elevator will be updated to meet new code standards. Electrical panels in the kitchen are also being upgraded.
"We are excited about the new entry, restrooms and additional flexibility that the renovation will provide for Rollins and its customers," Kiehn said. "We look forward to opening the updated Rollins dining facility in August 2010."