Nelson Dining Hall will close Spring Quarter as Ohio University completes its renovation of the building, which eventually will offer a new café and Mediterranean food.
Phase I of the project, which consists of renovating the “old side” of Nelson, or the banquet area, into new dining, market and café space, will be complete in August. The Nelson market and Grab N Go will remain open for Spring Quarter.
“We’re extremely excited about the project, to focus more on concept dining … and make (Nelson) something of a destination dining experience for all of our customers,” said Brian Thompson, director of Auxiliaries.
Shively Court will expand its hours to accommodate the South Green residents who will be without a dining hall in the spring. In addition to offering expanded breakfast options during the week, the East Green dining hall will be open on the weekends.
The renovated Nelson Dining Hall will have more seating — about 840 seats compared with its current 600 on the dining side — as well as a new café and enhanced market.
“The new campus café will be similar to what we’ve done at Alden Library,” Thompson said. “We’re doing a coffee environment on that end of campus where previously we did not have that type of venue near the South Green.”
The market will feature fresh fruits and sandwiches, and the Grab N Go will become a carryout option similar to what is offered at Jefferson Dining Hall.
“One card swipe will be given a container to fill up in the residential dining facility,” Thompson said.
The new dining space will feature four stations with different concepts — breakfast all day, Asian fusion, Mediterranean and barbecue. The barbecue station also will offer American fare such as hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes. Dining-hall staff will prepare entrée salads at the salad bar.
“It’s going to be a modified food court,” said Matt Rapposelli, executive chef for Culinary Services, in an October 2010 interview. “What we’re hopefully going to achieve is a food court in a retail sense. Students can get their whole meal — including beverages, food and dessert — in one area.”
Phase I of the project was estimated to cost about $10 million, said Becky Watts, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis, in Oct. 2010. All three phases are projected to cost about $20.6 million. Culinary Services is funding the renovation.
The project is on budget, Thompson said.
Phases II and III will focus on converting the current dining space into a banquet and meeting area and improving the exterior of the building as well as the catwalk area surrounding it. Those phases are expected to be complete in summer 2013.
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