Student center in the works

Maimonides High School '96 Newton, Mass. The student center: a 24-hour nexus of campus life and student activities; a home to student groups; the meeting place of choice. Until now. After years of frustration, the University will finally get a student center as the $69 million Perelman Quadrangle is completed over the next two years. The Quad will comprise five buildings in the center of campus, with Houston Hall -- the nation's oldest student union building -- as its centerpiece. The upper stories of Houston Hall will be renovated, creating more space for student groups. The building's existing basement mall will be demolished, with new common areas, extending beneath the surrounding greens, created in the space. The campus' oldest and grandest building, College Hall, which sits across from Houston Hall, will also undergo extensive renovations. The area between the two will be transformed into the tree-lined Wynn Commons -- after a $7.5 million gift from casino magnate Steve Wynn -- extending to Logan and Williams halls on the western end and Irvine Auditorium at the eastern extreme. All five buildings will open onto the Commons. At the western end, a stone-stepped amphitheater will lead up to Logan Hall. A 330-seat auditorium and 150-seat recital hall will open onto the steps. Adjacent Williams Hall will connect with Logan through a two-story glass atrium, designed to be a 24-hour study area. Irvine Auditorium, at the eastern end, will be renovated to create increased practice space and a redesigned main auditorium seating up to 1,400. The Perelman Quad has met with widespread student approval. But the road to creating a student center at Penn was often tortuous. As originally announced, Penn administrators planned to build a student center, to be known as the Revlon Center, on the campus' northern end. As those plans fizzled, Ronald Perelman -- an alumnus and Penn trustee who made his millions in the 1980s as a corporate raider -- stepped in. Although he had originally pledged $10 million for the Revlon Center, he eventually increased his donation to $20 million -- almost a third of the $69 tab for the Quadrangle which will bear his name. The current plans will enable Penn to renovate some of her oldest buildings while fulfilling a long-standing student desire. But inevitably, not everyone is thrilled. Student groups have already begun jockeying for limited Houston Hall space. Performing arts groups have been particularly vocal in asserting that they've been overlooked. And many groups have concerns about finding adequate space for the two-year renovation period. Also, the closing of the mall -- and the accompanying eviction of its 15 retailers -- has sparked widespread concern. Only two stores have found alternate spaces near campus, and only one, a copy shop, will be leased space in Houston Hall once renovations are complete. To replace the various restaurants, a contract was awarded to Bon Appetit Management Co., who will provide students with a variety of dining formats and menu options. Many of the retailers feel Penn was not upfront with them about renovation plans and could have done more to find them alternate spaces. But with retail vacancies few and far between, Penn officials say they have done what they could. Plans, they note, were announced two years ago.

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