CANTON, Mo. – More televisions, more seating, a relaxing color scheme and the ability to charge your cell phone are among the many improvements to the dining experience that will be the result of an extensive renovation of the Dining Hall and the President’s Dining Room in the Gladys Crown Student Center at Culver-Stockton College this summer.
Commencement for Culver-Stockton graduates will be on Saturday, May 11, and work in the Dining Hall is expected to begin on Tuesday, May 14. The project, which is being paid for through private donations, is scheduled for completion by July 22 and will be ready for use at the start of the 2019-20 academic year.
The Crown Center was built in 1972, and the last upgrade to the Dining Hall came in 2008. The floor was upgraded in the serving area, lights and furniture were replaced and the hall was painted.
Other places in the Crown Center, such as the Cat’s Pause dining area and the S. Michael Wall Communication Lab, have been renovated in the past five years through donations.
Mike Bringer, director of campus security and facilities, says the work planned for the Dining Hall is overdue.
“Let’s face it. The pink and mauve (paint scheme) are not, in my opinion, relaxed colors,” he said. “Then you have a white floor that looks like it came from the 1970s. The lighting fixtures on the walls are old, the cabinets are old.
“A room that is lit properly and has a paint scheme that is cool and relaxing, along with a few cosmetic things that you put up, make the environment more comfortable. If you had two rooms, and one never had any work done to it, and the other was crystal clean, had some calm, cool colors and new furniture and new lighting, I don’t think there would be any question which area is more inviting for people.”
The renovations also will allow for more people to find a spot to eat. The current configuration allows for 288 seats, while the renovations will allow for 344 seats.
The types of places to sit will change as well. The only option now in the Dining Hall is for students to eat at six-person long tables, but the new-look Dining Hall will allow for people to sit four at table or at countertops with bar stools that also will have charging ports.
“You can sit by yourselves or with as many people as you like,” Bringer said. “Plus they have the ability to plug in their phone. I’m guessing those seats will be popular.”
A focal point in the Dining Hall will be a group of nine televisions on the south wall. They can all be used independently, or they can be used as a giant 12-foot-by-7-foot screen.
“It can be used for presentations for students or for guests who visit the campus,” Bringer said. “It’s just going to be a very nice addition.”
The televisions on the west wall will remain.
Changes also are planned for the President’s Dining Room. The sliding curtain, which is original to the building, will be replaced, and a television will be added.
“Students are no different than you and I, and they want a clean, crisp atmosphere to come dine,” he said. “At a minimum, they’re there once a day. They’re probably here twice, so they are spending quite a bit of time in the dining hall. We just want to make it a more appealing area.”
Bringer said a number of local contractors are doing the work, and the facilities staff will be involved in the effort as well.
In addition to the Dining Hall renovations, improvements in lighting to the common areas and Meaders Lounge in the Crown Center will be made. Meaders Lounge also will receive upgrades with finished walls, paint and new décor.
PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS
Dining Hall
- Serving equipment for the soup salad and sandwich area
- Numerous cabinetry with quartz tops
- Vending machines
- Tables and chairs that will seat 344 guests. Current seating allows for 288.
- Four areas of bar style seating with charging stations
- Streamlined serving area with decorative wall, soffit and lighting
- Ceiling tile throughout entire space
- LED lighting throughout entire space (downlights and decorative) dimmable
- New vinyl tile flooring
- Accordion wall
- New paint throughout entire area
- 12 foot by 7 foot video wall which also can create a large video screen to be used for presentations, entertainment, etc.
- New decor
President’s Dining Room (PDR)
- New vinyl tile flooring
- Ceiling tile throughout entire space
- LED lighting throughout entire space (downlights and decorative) dimmable
- New paint throughout entire area
- New upper and lower cabinetry
- Custom tables that match cabinetry
- Television
- New décor
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Contact the Marketing & Public Relations Office, at pr@culver.edu or 573-288-6000 ext. 6728 for more information.
NOTE: A number that appears immediately after a person’s name (i.e. Jane Doe ’18) is a reference to the year that person earned their bachelor’s degree from Culver-Stockton.