Summer updates to the Huntington campus widen Marshall’s reach and appeal.
The summer of 2019 has been a beehive of construction activity for Marshall University, with workers finishing two new buildings on Hal Greer Boulevard and making other major improvements on the campus.
Having outgrown its original home at the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center, the Marshall School of Pharmacy is getting a new $56 million building at Hal Greer and Charleston Avenue. Both the Pharmacy School building and an adjacent residence hall are on track to open in August, said Brandi D. Jacobs-Jones, Marshall University chief of staff and senior vice president for operations.
The Marshall Board of Governors voted to name the Pharmacy School’s new four-story building after the university’s late president, Stephen J. Kopp, whose dedication and commitment were instrumental in the pharmacy school’s birth. The building will house the school’s research, instructional, communal and administrative functions.
The adjacent residence hall, named Fairfield Landing, will house medical and pharmacy graduate students.
“These projects mark a milestone in Marshall history,” Marshall President Jerome A. Gilbert noted. “They also mark a turning point in the history of the Fairfield neighborhood, helping return it to prosperity.”
And these two construction projects are just the beginning. The university has other items on its ambitious agenda.
“This is a transformative summer for us,” Jacobs-Jones said. “In addition to the new pharmacy school and Fairfield Landing on Hal Greer, we’re making major investments to improve our dining options and refresh some tired spaces so we can make them more inviting for our students and visitors.”
The Memorial Student Center (MSC) is getting a $3.8 million revamping, with more that $2 million of that going to refashion the center’s food court, said Jeff Pratt, a project manager with Marshall facilities and planning.
“La Famiglia Italian Restaurant, Huntington Market, Taco Bell and Steak ’n Shake are going in, and Chick-Fil-A is going to transition to a full-service operation,” Pratt said.
Another $1.8 million is going to redo the student center’s lobby, with a new stairway, flooring and furnishings.
“The existing stairway to the second floor takes up a lot of room and is outdated,” Pratt said.
“Unlike the current stairway, the new one will provide direct access to the center’s basement,” said William “Tootie” Carter, director of business operations at the MSC. “Currently a lot of people don’t even know the center has a basement. The existing stairs to it are all but hidden.”
“In redesigning the student center lobby we’ve made sure there will be lots of places where students can plug in and charge their cell phones and tablets,” Carter added.
“The student center is our campus living room and we want it to be a welcoming and comfortable place where students can relax, visit or catch up on their homework,” said Jacobs-Jones.
The Marshall Bookstore, located in the student center, also is getting a $466,000 upgrade, with new carpet, furnishings and a first-ever dressing room. A new Nike Store within the bookstore will feature Nike-brand Marshall clothing and gear.
About two blocks away, renovations will continue at the Twin Towers Residence Halls and Dining Hall.
“The old Towers Dining Hall has been completely demolished and we’re putting in an entirely different concept featuring new eateries,” Pratt said.
One will be The Den by Denny’s, a smaller version of the popular restaurant chain known for its home-style breakfasts. There’s to be an upscale deli named the 1837 Marketplace — that’s the year Marshall was founded. And the third will be the Mein Bowl, which will feature an Asian menu with dishes like stir-fry and sushi.
“We know that many of today’s students have what might be called an elevated palate,” said Jacobs-Jones. “They want more food offerings, they want opportunities to customize their meals, and they want national and local food brands they recognize.”
Revamping the Towers Dining Hall is a $2.8 million project.
“Last summer we did a lobby refresh at Twin Towers East,” said Mistie Bibbee, Marshall’s director of housing and residence life. “This summer we’re doing the same for the lobby at Twin Towers West. That means new paint, new flooring and new furniture.”
Summer 2019 has also seen workers put the finishing touches on a two-year, $3.7 million refurbishing of Jenkins Hall, Pratt said. The project included new carpet, new HVAC and even a new elevator.
In an effort to make recycling easier to do on campus, the university is installing new recycling bins in six high-traffic areas, said Sustainability Coordinator Amy Parsons-White.
“The bins will be clearly marked showing what items we can recycle,” Parsons-White said. “And I’m happy to report we can now accept glass to recycle. We’ll be taking that to Adams Trucking on U.S. 60 East, where they will repurpose it, grinding it into sand.”
Plans call for the work to be completed before the year is out. Some of it will be ready when the students return to campus in August.
With all of the updates to the Huntington campus, it’s evident that the university is growing, changing and creating more welcoming spaces for more members of the Marshall family.
About the Author: James E. Casto, retired associate editor of The Herald-Dispatch, is the author of a number of books on local and regional history. His latest is Huntington Chronicles, which offers capsule accounts of many of the noteworthy people, places and events in the city’s history.
Photos (from top):
Stephen J. Kopp Hall will be completed for the fall 2019 semester.
Construction and renovation projects underway this summer are indicated in full color.
The food court in the Memorial Student Center is undergoing extensive renovations including updating existing restaruants and new additions, like La Famiglia and Taco Bell Express.