David Walker is 69 years old and a semi-retired attorney, but in 1959-1960, he was Student Government president in the midst of planning a Student Union. Just two years later, construction began on what Walker described as “just a dream in somebody’s eye.”
The Union first opened in 1964 after three years of planning. More than 22 years later, the building will undergo its first major renovation starting in September, carrying a price tag of $54.6 million.
When the Union was first built, the University had only 13,000 students, but now there are more than 31,000. This substantial increase in students has led to what some think is an insufficient amount of space for eating areas and meeting rooms.
The Union also shows many signs of aging, including crumbling exterior banisters and stairwells, water damage and roof leakages.
More than two-thirds of the Union will be renovated to comply with the International Building Code and ADA requirements, and there will be an addition of 50,000 square feet of more space. Most of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems will also be replaced.
Union Director Shirley Plakidas said architects have pointed out that there are thousands of students who live near the southeast corner of the Union, but in order to enter the building, they must either climb the stairs to the patio or walk around the building.
To fix this, the patio will be removed, and a four-story addition will be put in its place, creating another entrance to the building.
Plakidas said architects hope students will use this new entrance as a way to cut through the Union on the way to class.
The first level of the new addition will be called the Live Oak Lounge. It will feature seating with wireless Internet access, electrical outlets for laptops and a stage with microphone inputs.
McDonald’s will move inside the building, the Tiger Card office will move downstairs and Cox Communications will be move into a more permanent location.
There are also plans to open another coffee shop.
“I think that this is going to be one of the most dynamic spaces in here,” said Larry Payne, WTW architect. WTW is the design firm from Pittsburgh that has worked on the renovations since 2001.
Plakidas said the designers hope to have the Union’s barber shop move into the current McDonald’s location. She said they also hope to offer services for women.
On the second level, there will be an expanded lounge area with additional seating. Under a University contract with Chartwells, the University will spend $3 million to renovate the Tiger Lair. The current Tiger Lair will be replaced with stand-alone food units, much like a mall food court.
Plakidas said the new design will offer more flexibility by allowing individual units to be open at a time.
The third and fourth floors will house offices for student organizations. Currently, only two of the approximately 300 student organizations on campus are housed in the Union. Under the new plan, office space for 40 to 50 organizations will be added.
Another new feature will be an area open 24 hours a day. The additions are designed so individual areas of the Union can be closed off at night to cut back on utility charges and increase safety.
There are also plans to have elevator access for student organization members to increase safety during after-hour times.
The Union Theater is also scheduled to undergo extensive renovations. Updates will be made to restrooms, the theater’s acoustics and its grand staircase.
Discussion of how best to renovate the Union were held in open forums among WTW architects, Student Government and other leaders of student organizations, and an online survey was conducted.
In 2002, a referendum was passed as a part of SG elections, which implemented a fee to pay for the renovations. The fee started at $10 for the first semester and went up at $10 increments every semester to reach a maximum of $60. The fee covers bonds that will be used to finance the project.
Plakidas said as long as the University sells the bonds in August as planned, the renovation should remain on schedule.
Construction is scheduled to begin in September, and while construction was slowed because of Hurricane Katrina, Plakidas said it is still on schedule to be finished by 2008.
“We want it to be good and right,” said Plakidas.
 
Contact Samantha Walker at [email protected]