Capital Projects
Campus Center, Riverwalk, and Hurvis Crossing
Goal: $35 million
The new Richard and Margot Warch Campus Center will do nothing less than revitalize daily life at Lawrence. When this stunning facility overlooking the Fox River opens in fall of 2009, the Lawrence community will come together when dining, studying, relaxing…and just hanging out. You’ll be pleased to know, too, that the building is LEED–certified (LEED is a national ranking system for green building practices, and stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a reflection of our commitment to sustainable environmental stewardship.
The 107,000–square–foot, four–story building, located on the south side of John Street between Sage Hall (to the east) and Lawe Street (to the west) showcases the scenic beauty of its location with striking vistas of the Fox River and vast, light–filled spaces. Unifying the east and west sides of Lawrence's campus, it will feature:
- Campus dining services and catering facilities
- Plenty of flexible entertainment, activity and meeting/conference space for students and student groups, plus venues for major campus events
- Beautifully furnished lounges
- A convenience store (we can almost hear students cheering!), and café
- A cinema similar to commercial movie theaters
- A logo merchandise store
- Offices, storage, and workspace for the Office of Campus Activities and for all student organizations, fostering collaboration and bringing organizations together in ways they haven't imagined.
- A fully functioning post office for all students
Words alone just don’t do this building justice. Take a look at the future social hub of campus that will attract prospective students, support current students, and encourage alumni to return to a place that evokes the values and traditions of the Lawrence experience by clicking here
We’re thrilled to announce that the funds for the campus center were raised in the quiet phase of the More Light! campaign, propelled by an anonymous $16 million leadership gift. Today, we’re seeking funds to complete The Riverwalk, a student–designed path embracing the Fox River and highlighting the river’s rich history.
About The Riverwalk...
The Riverwalk is, in essence, a beautiful way to bring the entire campus to its new hub – the campus center. The Riverwalk begins at Trever Hall (whose students will no longer feel a bit isolated!) and leads directly to the campus center; it then extends beyond the campus center to the sustainable garden at the bottom of Union Hill. The sustainable garden was the result of a collaborative student project for an environmental studies course on sustainable agriculture. Today, a small army of student volunteers prepares the earth, plants, weeds, and harvests, all under the direction of a student garden manager and geology professor Jeff Clark. Lawrence Dining Service buys much of the garden’s harvest, providing fresh produce for student meals. As part of The Riverwalk, a passage beneath Lawe Street will create a safe and easy way for wheelbarrows full of fresh vegetables to reach the campus center kitchens—and for kitchen waste to return to the garden via a new Composting Center. Along the way from Trever to the sustainable garden, The Riverwalk descends to the Fox River, where the Lawrence community will enjoy the natural beauty of the riverbank and vistas of the river’s path both east and west.
Hurvis Crossing
Funded by a gift from Tom ’60 and Julie Hurvis’61, this carefully landscaped, wide, inviting land bridge over Lawe Street will provide the primary connection between the East and West parts of campus. Its plantings, grass, and outdoor sculpture will extend the natural setting of the campus center and connect beautifully and seamlessly with the rest of the campus.
