Elaborate tile patterns and deep yellow paint decorate the walls and floors of Woodworth Commons, as Ball State University prepares to put the finishing touches on its renovated dining facility. After a two-year wait, students will be able to enjoy a variety of food options at Woodworth Commons this Fall Semester.
Construction on Woodworth Complex's dining hall began Fall 2005 and is scheduled to be completed Fall 2007, Liz Poore, assistant director of operations, said. Poore and a small team of Ball State and construction staff led interested students on 30-minute tours of the construction site Thursday.
Woodworth Commons will have two entrances, one that opens from Woodworth's west vestibule and another at its east end by Park Residence Hall. The dining hall will have five double-cashier stands, so workers can ring up two customers at once.
Cafeteria-style tables and chairs will occupy the four dinning rooms. While students dine, they can watch one of the four television sets in the south dining room, which will be flanked by lounges with seating on either side.
The dining hall's food options include a French-style pastry shop, a Mongolian Barbecue-inspired grill, an Italian eatery and the return of Woody's Grill, which will serve made-to-order hamburgers.
Poore said Ball State solicited a lot of input when choosing the food options by sending out e-mail surveys to students and looking at other universities' dining halls, she said. In the end, the university decided to create themed dining options, Poore said.
"Students like to have lots of choices and platforms," she said. "Themed dining is more of a trend right now."
The pastry shop boasts an espresso machine and products such as brownies and cookies from Starbucks. Students will also be able to watch Dining staff icing cupcakes and putting the finishing touches on other desserts.
"El Fire Dragon," the 54-inch hooded grill near the center of the dining hall, will offer Asian and Mexican food options, such as stir-fry and quesadillas. In addition, there will be oriental soup stations and grab-n-go items such as sushi.
Students can purchase pizza by the slice in Woodworth Commons' Italian section, which features a wood-stone, gas-burning oven with the ability to make 16-inch pizzas. Grab-n-go items will include salads, tiramisu and paninis, and a Tuscan table will contain hot wells of spaghetti, meatballs and breadsticks.
A comfort-food zone will have a soup station and a Boston Market-esque hot case of selections such as meatloaf, mashed potatoes and chicken dumplings.
Some of Woodworth Commons' other features will be a soda fountain with barstool seating, a two-story atrium dining area and a unique "spinning salad table" that spins dressing into the salad while tossing it.
Shook Construction Inc. was hired to do construction on Woodworth Commons. Tony Spohn, who oversees the project, said the tile work is what makes Woodworth Commons so special.
"It's real exciting for me to see it come together," he said. "I like all the different styles they're using."
Senior Rob Branch, who is graduating in May, said he interned at Shook during the summer for Ball State credit and was able to help the Woodworth Commons construction team by completing tasks such as answering subcontractors' questions and working with computers.
"It's pretty neat being involved like this," Branch said. "It's kind of like I'm leaving a mark [at Ball State]."
Poore said a grand opening for the dining hall can be expected in September.
Woodworth Commons will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. However, late-night diners can visit "the Emporium" which sells deli items and closes at 9 p.m. Most lounge areas are open 24 hours a day.
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