A construction worker finishes the trim in the theater.
Construction on the CUB exterior is nearing an end, while renovation to the inside is well under way and vendors are moving in.
With a little more than 100 days left until reopening, the CUB seems to be changing formation every day. It is undergoing the largest renovation of any building in WSU history.
Once it opens on Aug. 11, the CUB will feature many amenities including wireless Internet access, increased student meeting space, an upgraded and relocated home for the Student Book Corporation (Bookie), and a multitude of new vendors. Vendors will include Carlitas, Panda Express, The Pita Pit, Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen and more.
The first floor of the new Bookie located in the CUB.
There had been talk about what resturant would come into the CUB in place of Wackadoo’s and it was announced April 21 that the Markel family is moving back to Pullman to open three dining options: Markel Coffee House, the Sea Swiper seafood eatery and a full-service restaurant, Dupus Boomer’s.
Project Manager JeffLannigan said the CUB also is trying to sign a lease with a new juice bar.
The Bookie has started tenant improvements by installing book shelves. Move-in will begin in June, when books will be shipped to their new home in the downstairs of the CUB. The former Bookie location will be closed a few weeks before the CUB opens to give employees enough time to set up the new location.
The new water conserving toilets installed in the Cub will save around three million gallons of water a year.
The $86 million overhaul of the CUB is on time and on budget, according to Lannigan.
The original forerunner of the CUB started in 1914 when the first Student Book Store was constructed. Because it was on “the hill” and had a soda fountain with booths for students to gather, it became known as the Union.
In 1938 plans were developed to construct a 6,000-square-foot building with four floors above ground and two below – the beginning of today’s CUB. With the last renovation and expansion completed in 1968, the CUB has remained the center of student activity and campus life.
Seating in the new movie theater will include cup holders.
The most recent renovation of the CUB will feature “green” technologies that will be more environmentally friendly, Lannigan said.
The renovation was designed to meet LEED environmental accreditation standards determined by building professionals. The CUB will use less water and energy. The building will feature lower operating costs, increased asset value, reduced amounts of waste sent to landfills, and reduced harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
The new CUB administration will offer around 100 on-campus jobs for students, not including the employment supported by the various vendors.
The new tower behind the building, which is five stories tall, will connect the dorms to campus.
Workers finish up the tile floor in the upstairs of the Bookie.
