Purdue News

Big changes planned for Cary food service A little more than a year from now, a transformation of Purdue residence halls is set to begin. The changes involve extensive remodeling of Cary Quadrangle and renovation and consolidation of dining facilities. The combined cost is expected to exceed $60 million over a seven-year period. Download Photo Here Photo caption below The projects are the result of consultants' studies, surveys of residents, benchmarking against other universities and focus groups. To get an idea of where the halls are headed, take a look at Hillenbrand Hall, opened in 1993 and the first new residence hall built on the West Lafayette Campus since Shreve Hall was completed in 1970. Five years in the planning, Hillenbrand Hall was built with input from students, service staff and administrators. Among the unique features of Hillenbrand is a shared bathroom for every two rooms, contemporary serving and dining area, as well as a bakery. Download Photo Here Photo caption below Despite higher fees to live in Hillenbrand, the hall always has a waiting list. Residents of other halls flock to Hillenbrand to eat, even when Hillenbrand is serving the same food those residents could have eaten in their home halls. It's a residence hall from top to bottom that's far less institutional than the other halls built from the 1920s to 1970. "Hillenbrand will serve as a model for the future of food service and the way three of the five Cary units eventually will look," says Marvis Boscher, director of university residences. The upgrade and consolidation of dining facilities is expected to be completed by 2005. The project will create five dining commons, rather than the 11 existing cook-and-serve operations. The current seven a la carte operations and mini-marts will be reworked into five larger carryout grills and mini-marts. When the Cary work is completed in 2006, three of the five units will have been completely gutted and rooms reconfigured. The other units will undergo extensive cosmetic, mechanical and other upgrades. Stories by Jay Cooperider Photographs by Tom Campbell and David Umberger PHOTO CAPTION: As Purdue prepares to renovate and upgrade aging student residences at West Lafayette, the newest, most popular hall, Hillenbrand Hall will serve as a model. Beginning in May 2000, two major projects will begin: renovating and consolidating dining operations on campus as we as major remodeling of Cary Quadrangle. The five new dining commons that will take the place of the 11 cafeterias in the residence halls will be open and airy, and some selections will be available cooked-to-order. One example of the facilities that Housing and Food Services staff visited in forming plans for the Purdue food-service transformation was Ball State University. In February, the Board of Trustees approved the hiring of an architect for the food service project and the renovation and reconfiguration of Cary Quadrangle. Download Photo Here Download Photo Here Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu