UMSL invests $105 million to replace aging campus facilities
The University of Missouri – St. Louis is building a $32 million new Science Learning Building and a $36 million new Recreation and Wellness Center, part of $105 million the school is investing to replace aging facilities.
Construction started this past winter on those two buildings, which are expected to be complete in late 2015.
The 75,000-square-foot, four-story science building will replace some of the school’s oldest laboratories in halls built in the 1960s, according to UMSL Spokesman Bob Samples.
“It’s been recommended for state funding for well over a decade and never received any,” he said. “The campus decided to address this ourselves.” The school funded the $32 million building by issuing bonds, which will be repaid with campus funds. K&S Associates of St. Louis is the general contractor, and Christner Inc. of Clayton designed the building.
Highlights of the $36 million, 99,000-square-foot recreation center will include a climbing wall, a zip line, an elevated track and a four-lane pool. The facility is being funded through a student approved fee increase. The architect is Cannon Design of St. Louis, and the general contractor is Ashland, Mo.-based River City Construction. Students currently use the Mark Twain Athletic Center for recreation, which was built for use by student athletes and never intended to accommodate the general student population.
Construction is planned to start late this year on two other buildings on the campus:
• A $17 million, 48,000-square-foot Optometry Patient Care Center, which is being funded by a fee increase for optometry students.
• A $20 million, 46,000-square-foot, three-story College of Business Administration building. The campus has raised more than $10 million in private funds for the building and is seeking a match from the state. “Currently, the business classes and business activities are spread across five buildings, and this will allow us to start to consolidate those activities, ” Samples said.
Besides investing in its own campus, the school is working to attract new businesses to the surrounding area, according to UMSL Administrator Betty Van Uum.
UMSL’s new buildings
$36 million Recreation and Wellness Center
$32 million Science Learning Building
$20 million College of Business Administration
$17 million Optometry Patient Center