Construction on the new Jefferson Marketplace will begin in May, and during the Fall Semester a temporary market will be open.
The students in this year's graduating class are the last to remember Jefferson Dining Hall, and students in next year's freshman class will be the first to experience the new Jefferson Marketplace.
The new market, which will be located on the corner of East Union and Stewart Street, will open in January 2017 and construction will begin this May, OU Spokesman Dan Pittman said.
During the summer, the current Jefferson Market will be closed, and before the start of Fall Semester, a temporary market area will open within the existing market. That temporary market will close Dec. 16.
The total project budget for the renovations of Jefferson Hall is $40 million, according to the Board of Trustees March meeting agenda.
Though Jefferson Marketplace will not be a dining hall, it will have a New York-style deli, café and tea room, fresh juice bar and a demonstration kitchen. Customers will also be able to buy sliced meats and cheeses by the pound.
“The deli will feature a seating area where customers can enjoy made-to-order sandwiches and sides,” Pittman said in an email.
Megann Power, a junior studying health service administration, said the students who get to use the renovated Jefferson Market will be lucky.
“When we were freshmen, (Jefferson Market) was so small and you couldn’t get all the cool stuff you can get at Nelson Market,” Power said. “Having to walk all the way to Nelson was a pain in the butt.”
Mark Daniels, a junior studying health administration, said he plans on checking out the new Jefferson Market, even though he lives off-campus, as long as the items are reasonably priced.
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“I definitely think it’s a good thing,” Daniels said. “It’s more options, and that’s a great thing that’s desperately needed.”
Daniels added that having healthier food options for students is important.
The university will also continue to renovate the residence hall portion of Jefferson Hall, which is expected to be complete by August 2017, according to the Board of Trustees agenda.
As part of the renovations, an elevator will be installed in the residence hall, Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Housing and Residence Life, said at the board's March meeting.
The renovated Jefferson Hall will have 287 beds, laundry rooms and a community kitchen, according to the agenda. Trentacoste said he hopes to implement a Living Learning Center for East Green in Jefferson Hall.
@megankhenry
