After nearly two years of construction, $95 million in construction costs and the input of thousands of students, the University of Wisconsin finally has its new Union South.
Students and members of the campus community waited expectantly outside of the building’s gleaming exterior to gain the first looks at the new music venue, restaurants, rock climbing wall and other attractions for the building’s official grand opening on Friday.
When the time for the noon opening rolled around, lines formed quickly dissolved as onlookers rushed into the building.
Marc Kennedy, a Wisconsin Union spokesperson, said while the new facility will be a main attraction on campus, different program offerings at Memorial Union will give students and members of the public a wider array of campus entertainment options.
He also said the opening day could not have been successful without the efforts of Union South’s workers, which include nearly 200 students and around 30 new full-time faculty.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who was on hand at the building’s dedication ceremony, said the union serves as a “third place” for individuals of different backgrounds to unite at a common hub on campus.
He characterized the atmosphere of the new union as “warm and welcoming” and representative of traits of the greater city of Madison as a whole.
“This place is all about encouraging people of different backgrounds to come together and mix it up in new ways,” Cieslewicz said. “The union serves as a microcosm of the definition of a good city.”
Chancellor Biddy Martin said the building features many of the iconic features of Memorial Union, including the terrace chairs, as well as a sustainable design that puts the facility on track to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification.
The union serves to reflect all that is great and engaging about life on campus, she said.
“I am struck by the diversity of the people in the [building] that can enable chance encounters,” Martin said. “The union story is the talent, dedication and sense of responsibility of students.”
With the new union’s doors finally open to regular use by the public, members of the Wisconsin Union Directorate are also already planning larger scale events which members said are better suited to the new spaces provided in Union South.
Mike Sakowski, director of the WUD Society and Politics Committee, said although both union locations bring a unique value to campus, committees will work to leverage different kinds of events in the new location.
He cited larger concerts, which may be cramped in the Rathskeller, movies and nationally recognized speakers as events to be held at Union South but said Memorial Union’s terrace, art galleries and smaller group spaces will remain popular attractions.
While students filtered in to explore the building throughout the day, some arrived with other objectives in mind.
Sarah Artz, a fifth-year student, said she and friends arrived around 11:15 a.m. in an attempt to play the first official game of bowling in the Union South basement.
She said the building’s proximity to Engineering Hall meant she was likely to use the new union on a nearly daily basis.
Click here for more photos of the grand opening.
Click here for more photos of the of Montreal concert.
