Update: Residences Razed

As the Performing Arts Center rises on the other side of campus, two residential buildings were demolished over the summer months. Lawrence and Mitchell houses were recently razed from the northwest corner of campus after fifty years. The new campus dining facility is planned for this location.

That, and more from this August update from the Physical Plant:

Updated items

Energetic Material Research Facility
Status: Addressing Punch List Items

Ongoing items

Performing Arts Center
Start Date: November 19, 2008
Substantial Completion Date: June 2010

New items

University Camp improvements
Status: Under Construction
Programmed Amount: unknown
Start Date: Summer 2009
Substantial Completion Date: unknown

University Hotel renovations
Status: In Progress
Start Date: July 2009
Substantial Completion Date: unknown

Completed items

Applied Forensic Science Research Building
Status: Completed July 2009
(Part of the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility)

University Camp Caretaker’s Cabin
Status: Completed June 2009
(Part of the University Camp)

Physical Plant update: May 2009

The Physical Plant sneaked in another update recently and here’s a brief recap of what’s happening:

In Development: Northside Dining Hall

We mentioned last year the impending demolition of Lawrence and Mitchell Houses to make room for the new northside dining hall. The Physical Plant has published some photographs of the new eatery to be located due north of Belvin-Buchanan Hall.

The project is to begin in the summer of 2009; no completion date is given.

Plan for new dining hall unveiled

Staff writer Jenny Swenson has an article in today’s Houstonian about the new dining hall being built on the north side of campus. A presentation by “Baton Rouge based Tipton Associates [showed] preliminary plans…[and ]…project[ed] the dining hall will be completed in the fall of 2010.”

According to the article, the “dining hall will be located in place of existing structures on Bearkat Boulevard, scheduled for demolition.” In short: Lawrence and Mitchell houses are on the chopping block as evidenced in the article’s accompanying photograph which now shows the dining hall due north of Belvin-Buchanan Hall.

Earlier plans for the dining hall indicated it might be built in the parking lot east of the University Health center.