While Tulane University completed a $44 million student center this spring, plans to renovate the Danna Center will cost almost 15 times less than that, according to vice president of Student Affairs Marcia “Cissy” Petty. With estimated costs at around $3 million, Petty said Loyola will see more impact than Tulane’s $44 million project.
Moreover, Chris Cameron, director of co-curricular programs, said that Loyola will get more than what Tulane has, because their Lavin-Bernick Center lacks warmth, color and art, and the Danna Center will be bright and colorful and will “pop.”
Cameron and Petty both said they want the Danna Center to be a welcoming place for students to hang out.
“It’s time, it’s past time,” Petty said about the renovations, adding that the students deserve more. She said this project would provide momentum for other instances of deferred maintenance around campus.
“I think it is important, as it plays such a role in the life of everyone – students, faculty and staff,” the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president, said.
Henry Munoz, architect with the Kell Munoz firm and designer of the Danna Center plan, said he volunteered to design the plan. “It is a very important building because it is the center of campus life and culture,” he said.
Munoz provided his services as a donation to Loyola, especially the students.
TRADING SPACES
The Danna Center got a face-lift over the summer with the removal of the “cheese grater” grilles and a fresh coat of paint.
This is the first of several phases for renovating the student center under a plan developed by Munoz.
Munoz, who is part of the Board of Trustees, volunteered his services. Alton Doody, another member of the Board of Trustees, commissioned the plan.
The university hasn’t renovated the building since the early 1990s, according to Cameron. Loyola will make exterior and interior changes in phases over the next year, and they will complete them by the end of next summer.
All the interior spaces will have new carpet and paint with a color and design scheme to match the modern architecture, Cameron said.
The aesthetic will be “mid-century modern with a high-end retro feel.” The carpets will feature colorful patterns and bright, warm and inviting paint colors like magenta, orange and yellow, said Cameron.
Munoz said the planned furnishings and color palette are current and recognizable. “It’s stuff that’s hip and cool,” Munoz said.
According to Cameron, Loyola’s first priority was a change in food options, with an emphasis on local flair and supporting local business, as well as focusing on quality.
A Community Coffee shop will go into the middle of the Orleans Room lounge. The area occupied by the C-Store, Tulane-Loyola Federal Credit Union, Smoothie King and the space formerly occupied by Mane Attraction will become a “Whole Foods concept” area. The area will have a grill, sushi and other expanded food options, and a lounge will replace the area where the C-Store is now.
Seattle’s Best Coffee in the Underground will close. Sandella’s will also close and be replaced by a high-end deli concept, Cameron said.
The deli will feature sandwiches like muffalettas, salamis and high-quality deli meat along with kettle chips, imported beers and wine. The new establishment will have more local flavor, Cameron said.
In place of Seattle’s Best Coffee, Loyola will build a small performance area for student showcases and a possible jazz series.
The opposite wall will feature a large screen for movie showings. Petty said the screen will probably be used for a movie series.
The OR will also feature new menus and flavors as Vinny Bruno, the new chef, takes over.
The serving area of the OR will get a new look, and most changes to the dining areas and food concepts will be completed over the summer. Loyola may build CC’s any time between now and May, according to Cameron.
The art gallery currently located off the OR lounge will move to a much larger space in the Danna Center basement. Loyola will move student organization offices to the “main street” of the basement, the area stretching from the Underground and Wolf Den to the Office of Co-Curricular Programs.
This includes all offices in the Wolf Den, such as the Loyola University Community Action Program, Loyola Greek Life and Christian Life Communities.
The bookstore has agreed to move the textbooks out of their basement room, where the space will be used for offices.
The offices will be more centrally located and easier to get to, Cameron said. The Wolf Den will be remodeled with pool tables and soft lounge seating.
According to Munoz, there has not been a decision on the future of the Center for Intercultural Understanding remaining in its current location.
According to Cameron, the last priority of the interior renovation is providing meeting space for the community and administrative offices because the primary focus of the renovations is improving student life.
Cameron said that many of the offices were already empty and that it is a matter of coordinating who goes where for both administrative and student offices.
GETTING GRAPHIC
The exterior changes won’t stop with fresh paint and a new look.
Loyola will use the grilles to create a porch along the side of the building facing the Residential Quad, and new tile will go on parts of the exterior.
Loyola will install solar window films throughout the Danna Center to block ultraviolet rays and reduce heat, light and glare.
The films on the windows facing the courtyard will have graphic elements, designed by graphic arts students, and tell a story, according to Cameron.
There will be solid graphics on the windows on the corner of the building closest to the library, with plain films on the second level of the building. The courtyard will have graphic solar films along the upper level windows, and Kell Munoz plans to redesign the courtyard itself with a French Quarter patio feel.
Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].
