Bulldog Plaza:
Building our Future on the Foundations of Our Past . . . literally.

During our excavation to place the footings for the new granite walls along University Avenue in front of Old Main, we discovered the foundations of a previous building. The existing foundations mirrored nearly the same path needed for our new project, and were proving to be nearly impossible to remove given their size. We verified with our structural engineer, and in the end, chose to embrace the past, and use the abandoned footings as our new base.

Over the next few weeks, the project will really begin to take shape with the completion of the granite wall, sidewalk, and plaza paver installations, including the masonry base construction for our newest bulldog sculpture on campus. Remaining construction items are planned for completion the week of Aug. 24. As the construction activities wrap up, temporary fence will be removed, with site restoration, grading, and landscaping to continue. Funding for this project is made possible through multiple philanthropic gifts.

Hubbell Dining Renovation:

We have had an incredible summer of construction at Hubbell Dining Hall. While students are counting the days until the start of the fall semester, contractors, design teams, and Drake staff are working hard to make that a return to the new, instead of the old. The thousands of planning, design, and construction hours needed to transform Hubbell Dining Center are nearing the finish line. The new finishes, kitchen spaces, and serving stations, are just a part of the improved overall dining experience available for students returning to campus in a couple of weeks.

Our teams have also been working diligently on providing a safe dining experience compliant with other COVID protocols we are using throughout campus.  Funding for this multi-million dollar remodel is provided by our dining partners, Sodexo.

— Michelle Huggins, Facilities Planning & Management