Coffman Union was the center of the University’s East Bank campus and a meeting grounds for University students from its opening in 1940 until fall 1999.
That year, the Minneapolis campus student union temporarily closed its doors for a three-year renovation to make it more student-friendly.
Coffman is set to reopen in fall 2002 with the majority of the student-oriented facilities opening in August 2002. The building, located on the south end of Northrop Mall, will receive a 15-month, $71 million face-lift with construction starting this week.
The project will include addition of a bookstore, computer labs, a large theater and air conditioning along with a food court.
One of the major obstacles to renovation has been the price. Original estimates for renovation were $50 million, with $45 million buying the first four levels entirely for student use. Those levels will include a 45,000-square-foot student book store, computer labs, the food court and multiple study and lounge areas.
Since the original estimate, the design plans for the renovation were redrawn at a new cost of $71 million.
The extra $20 million will be paid for by the auxiliary and business tenants on the upper levels of the student union. Many sources behind the project insist the increase will not raise students’ cost in funding the project.
The original $50 million for the Coffman renovation is funded by the students. A four-year, “phased in” plan began in the 1999-00 school year. The plan calls for a yearly increase in student service fees for four years and will then level off to average an additional $91 a year for the next 17 years to pay off the bond.
The responsibility of paying for a union some students will never use has caused mixed feelings surrounding the renovation project within the University community.
“Some of the people missed its services for half of their careers and had to pay for it,” said pharmacology student Jeremy Fuchs. “That’s not fair.”
Fuchs consistently used Coffman before the renovation and, due to the time commitment of his degree, will be a student when the union reopens.
Like many students, Fuchs questioned whether or not such a drastic renovation or any renovation at all was necessary, as the old Coffman suited his needs.
“It’s only $91 a year, but it didn’t need to be renovated,” he said.
Along with achieving a brighter, more friendly student atmosphere and adding several amenities, the renovation also seeks to achieve Americans with Disabilities Act and code compliance.
Three and a half decades prior to the opening of Coffman Union, University women’s groups opened the first center resembling a student union on campus.
The area just east of Folwell Hall, also know as the Knoll Area, was home to Shevlin Hall. Beginning in 1905, Shevlin became the home of the University Women’s Center. It was not officially recognized as a union; at the turn of the century, unions were considered organizations of men only.
In 1938, University enrollment increased to 14,000, and the need for a new facility emerged. In July of that year, the Greater University Corporation voted to accept Lotus Delta Coffman’s plan to raise funds for a new student union.
Construction on Coffman Union began August 8, 1939, and the facility was open for use fall semester 1940. Final construction cost was just more than $2 million.
Many of the services formerly located within Coffman can now be found at the Stadium Village Mall at 825 Washington Ave. S.E. The mall is the temporary home to facilities and services such as student organizations, the U Card Office, Campus Involvement Center, cultural centers and First-Year Experience.
A complete list of where to find the services and facilities previously located in the Coffman Student Union can be found on the web at www.coffman.umn.edu
Justin Ware welcomes comments at [email protected]