McCormick Hall will remain standing for at least the next academic year, but only the first floor will be accessible as practice space for student organizations, university officials said.
Lora Strigens, vice president for planning and strategy, said McCormick will be demolished only when the next project for the site is ready and able to move forward.
“We are all hopeful that is very soon,” Strigens said.
President Michael Lovell announced plans for multiple new buildings around campus in his 2017 presidential address, including a new recreation center where McCormick Hall currently stands.
Strigens said from an efficiency and cost-saving standpoint, it is important to start the next project when something is torn down.
The cafeteria will no longer function as a dining hall, but will be divided into two empty areas for student groups to use as a practice and rehearsal space, according to Neil Wucherer, director of the Alumni Memorial Union.
“Student groups have already reached out requesting McCormick’s space,” Wucherer said. “Reservations can only be made for the fall semester at this time. Second semester reservations can be made in mid-November.”
The space in McCormick makes up for the space lost when the Sendik’s Fresh2GO store opened in August 2017. Sendik’s is located on 16th street.
McCormick’s practice space will open Sept. 4 and operate 7 a.m. to midnight. The space will run similar to Humphrey Hall’s additional practice space, which is monitored only by security surveillance and patrolled regularly by MUPD.
As of now, Wucherer said the plan is for McCormick to be open for the entire academic year.
The 50-year-old residence hall was used this past summer as a space for housing and dining for students attending summer classes who were waiting for their leases to start.
Executive director of student affairs operations Rick Arcuri said McCormick Hall was run as a normal building up until its close in July. Students temporarily being housed there were moved to Schroeder Hall.
“There are a couple of things we need to do to secure (the dining hall space) but (people) can’t go (up) and wander around the building,” Arcuri said.
The staff who worked in McCormick Hall have all been placed in other dining facilities around campus.
“No one lost their job. Some of them went to Cobeen, some of them went to Straz and some of them went to Schroeder and a fair number of them went to Wild Commons,” Arcuri said.
Wild Commons opened its doors to incoming freshmen on Aug. 23.
