An informational meeting illuminated plans for a new Gordon Commons dining hall to the Urban Design Commission Wednesday night.
Under the proposed plan, the current dining hall, located between the Southeast residence halls and University Square would be torn down this summer and replaced with a new building and a vast lawn space.
The kitchens at Gordon Commons would remain open for students until the new building is opened.
Gary Brown, director of campus planning and landscape architecture for UW, said the lawn space is intended to provide more greenery and open space in between the high-rise dormitories in the area.
“We need a nice, big, open space for a kind of passive play … laying out in the sun, small pick-up games, things like that,” Brown said.
Doug Hirsch, an architect from Potter Lawson Inc., said an outdoor lawn and patio would accommodate up to 400 people for picnics and large events. Basketball and volleyball courts would also be available for student recreation.
The new lawn would be located where the current Gordon Commons sits, and the new building itself would sit on the south side of the city block along West Dayton Street.
The same materials and palettes used in East Campus Mall, mainly stone, brick and metal, will compose the exterior of the new building. Two-story windows will face out onto the lawn space and a slightly inclined slope will provide a walkway from West Johnson Street to the building’s entrance.
The first floor consists of a convenience store, coffee shop and a “marketplace” with individual venues and seating. The new design of the cafeteria allows more flexibility in terms of future plans for food service and hours, said UW Housing assistant director Michael Kinderman. The dining style is expected to be similar to Union South and less like a structured cafeteria.
“We’re actually open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. in the morning, and eventually we can be open all night,” Kinderman said. “What we’re building can be flexible for years and years to come.”
Members of the Urban Design Commission offered suggestions at the informational meeting but still showed general excitement about the new plans. The developers and architects addressed issues ranging from bicycle parking to intended use for the expansive lawn, and the possible addition of student housing.
“We’ve been kind of shy about adding more rooms on this end of campus,” answered Brown to a suggestion of adding extra floors for dormitories. “We were just trying to do a one-for-one replacement. Our new residence hall spaces are going to be down on Lakeshore.”
Plans for the new Gordon Commons dining hall will be reviewed again later this month and again in January.
