Students can officially use the newly renovated Jefferson Market when it opens to the public Jan. 25.
Culinary Services will train employees to prepare for the market’s opening, Greg Robertson, associate vice president for Architecture, Design and Construction, said.
The Jefferson Market construction was "substantially" completed Dec. 12, Robertson said. That marks the first major renovation to the East Green hall since it opened in 1956.
“The Culinary Services team has been working hard to install shelving, menus, signage and data systems in preparation of opening,” Ohio University Spokesman Dan Pittman said in an email.
Though it isn’t a traditional dining hall, the new Jefferson Market will provide another venue where students can use their Flex meal plan. Its facilities include the Grocery Market, a deli, a vegetable butcher, a cafe, a tea room and a “culinary studio,” which will provide live demonstrations of food preparation.
“I appreciate how innovative Food Services is,” Morgan Grammer, a freshman studying family and consumer sciences education, said. “I appreciate that campus isn’t stagnant.”
After break, students were greeted by the near-complete Jefferson Hall, a change from last semester’s construction.
“I live in Washington, and it was exciting coming back from break and seeing the hall,” Michaela Gress, a freshman studying meteorology, said. “I can already tell it will be cool.”
The rest of the Jefferson Hall renovations are on schedule, Robertson said. He expects the project to be complete in August 2017, after more than a year of construction.
The renovations will include updated rooms, various campus commons and a Living Learning Center for East Green residents.
The total project budget for the renovations is $40 million, according to the Board of Trustees meeting agenda in March.
