Residence Hall Dining Rooms

In 1982 University Housing began planning a renovation of its dormitory facilities, with a special focus on the dining halls. At the time, many of the halls were "big, open rooms - [with] rows of long, fold-up cafeteria tables - vinyl, stackable chairs in ugly orange and turquoise - stainless steel and concrete, terrazzo tile floors and an institution atmosphere inviting only to litter and food fights". Champaign architect Neil Strack was hired to modernize the dining rooms, and by 1986 three were done with another four to be completed by 1990. [1]

Even though they couldn't make the dining halls exactly like home, they at least wanted to be rid of the "plastic and stainless steel type of dining halls - [where] the architects threw together cracker boxes". A goal of the renovations was to make the halls feel warmer, while still maintaining the service capacity of facilities expected to serve more than 9,000 students. One way this was achieved was to "develop the dining rooms in such a way that each had its own character so that students can choose to eat in different environments". The old orange and turquoise became everything from "mauve-burgundy-cream to dusty green and gray", thanks to interior designer Jane Sinclair. [2]

The renovations were not cheap, costing around $400,000 a year, or $1.5M for the first three halls. However, the resulting dining halls were so impressive and inviting that Food Management magazine featured them in a 1985 article. [3]