Ceremony To Kick Off HUB-Robeson Project

4-28-97

University Park, Pa. --- Penn State will celebrate the launching of a two-year construction project for the HUB-Robeson Complex, which renovate and expand the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) and house the new Paul Robeson Cultural Center at University Park.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, May 2 on the HUB lawn with scheduled speakers Penn State President Graham Spanier; Jesse Arnelle, chairman of the Board of Trustees; M. Nathan Nair, student Trustee; and William Asbury, vice president for student affairs.

"We are pleased to initiate the project, which is the result of many collaborative discussions among students, faculty and University offices over a long period of time," said Craig Millar, chair of the HUB-Robeson Design Committee and associate vice president for student affairs. "This new facility will better serve the current group of users totaling 25,000 a day and also act as the welcoming centerpiece of the campus."

The public is invited to the event, which will be a representation of the joining of the HUB and the Robeson Cultural Center. Speakers will be laying inscribed bricks representing the HUB and the Robeson Cultural Center, and the bricks will be placed in the new complex when it is completed.

Also invited to the ceremony are student leaders, donors and staff members of the offices affiliated with the HUB and Robeson Cultural Center such as Student Life, Student Union, Housing and Food Services, ID card office and the Penn State Bookstore.

Designed by Williams Trebilcock Whitehead Architects of Pittsburgh, the HUB/Robeson complex will add 91,000 gross square feet to the existing 154,000 gross square feet comprising the HUB and add the new Robeson Cultural Center. A linear addition will run from the west end of the HUB to the middle of the south wall of the Penn State Bookstore, preserving nearly all of the HUB lawn area. The new Robeson Center will be part of the complex but bear a distinctive oval-shaped identity.

The existing HUB will be renovated to become an integrated part of the whole complex, connected by a new four-story atrium space with skylights.

Among the many changes are a new Pollock Road entrance, a new auditorium, additional meeting rooms and student offices, renovated and expanded HUB Eateries dining areas, dedicated quiet study lounges, information and computer services, improved access for users with disabilities, art gallery space, and an expanded ballroom.

Built in 1955, the HUB is the main student union at the University Park campus, serving more than 50,000 students, faculty, staff and visitors. The HUB was expanded in 1974 and remodeled in 1981, but over the last 15 years, there has been significant growth in the number of students, faculty and staff at the University Park campus. Approximately 25,000 people are estimated to use the building each day, and nearly 7,000 events are scheduled each year in the facility.

The Robeson Cultural Center sponsored 561 events in 1995, attracting 24,000 participants. The Center is located in a World War II building that was moved to the campus in the early 1950s and designated as a temporary student union building.

Total construction budget is $26.825 million. The project will be financed with funds generated by a portion of University Park student activity fees, private support, Housing and Food Services, and University funds.

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Contacts: Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 (office) vyf1@psu.edu