A food market and Starbucks are opening up Monday in UF’s Norman Hall as part of the building’s ongoing renovations.
No food service was previously available in Norman Hall before the construction of Starbucks and The Market, which is very similar to a P.O.D Market, said Tom Dana, UF’s College of Education Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
The Market and Starbucks are the newest additions in a set of renovations taking place at Norman Hall and the Education Library, Dana said. The total renovations, which started in May 2018 and are expected to be completed in April, cost $28 million.
“The spaces were outdated and inadequate for students and faculty,” Dana wrote in an email. “Not much was updated since 1959 leaving spaces less than ideal for teaching and learning by college students.”
Previous renovations in the last two years include new air conditioning, plumbing, bathrooms and comfortable study areas, Dana wrote. There are also plans to renovate research labs in Norman Hall within the next year.
But there are limitations on how much can change. Norman Hall, which was built in the early 1930s, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation protects iconic features like brickwork and architectural embellishments from being destroyed, Dana said.
Around 2,500 students walk through Norman Hall a day, Dana said. Courtney Spillman, a 23-year-old first-year UF graduate student in science education, is one of those students. She has two classes that take place in Norman Hall and said she greatly appreciates the upgrades.
“I think it’s really nice for the education students to not have to cross the street to be able to get food and coffee,” Spillman said. “It’s really convenient.”
Contact Allessandra Inzinna at ainzinna@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @ainzinna.
Originally built as P. K. Yonge K-12 Laboratory School in 1932, Norman Hall currently houses the UF College of Education.
Allessandra is a third-year journalism major with a minor in English. In the past, she has covered local musicians and the cannabis industry. She is now the Student Government reporter for The Alligator. Allessandra paints and plays guitar in her free time.
