The renovation and expansion of Williams Dining Hall, which began in October, is now about halfway done.
In these past five months, on-campus dining has been limited, leaving Geisert as one of students’ most effective options. Meanwhile, River City Construction has been making steady progress on Williams, with crews working most days from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The fruits of their labor are not visible yet, but that will soon change. James Stephens, project superintendent at River City Construction, anticipates that steel installation will begin in April.
“That’s our next big step,” Stephens said. “Outside, we’re starting to do foundations underground. The guys are putting storm drains in for all the water to get out of here, and then we’ll get the foundations put in and start seeing some steel showing up for the main structure.”
This timeline could be impacted by weather, but aside from a few rainy days, conditions have not posed any significant challenges so far.
Jeremy Mischler, director of Facilities Management at Bradley, explained what the timeline means for students.
“By the time graduation comes around, it won’t be finished with brickwork and everything necessarily, but you’ll be able to see the large sizing of it,” Mischler said. “And [by the time you come back next school year], you’ll be eating here.”
Williams is intended to become Bradley’s main dining facility, offering an experience unlike anything else on campus. Features will include a main lounge, a private dining area with booth seating, secluded allergen stations, an after-hours coffee shop and artistic architectural elements such as a clerestory, a row of high windows, to bring in natural light.
In terms of food, students can expect fresh made-to-order meals instead of traditional buffet-style dining.
“The overall feeling will be like a coffee shop or a lounge. Less cafeteria-ish,” Mischler said. “I’ll just put it this way; it’s definitely not Geisert.”
The building’s footprint will also see a major expansion. The exterior alone will be more than twice the size of the original dining hall, creating space not just for eating but for relaxing and socializing.
“It will be nice to have a hangout location…to have campus kind of come into one location to be able to see a lot of different people,” Mischler said.
For a project of this scale, construction has moved quickly and remains on track. If progress continues smoothly, Williams Dining Hall is anticipated to become a vibrant campus hub this fall.
