Call it Unionville

Photos by Max Becherer / Staff
The Student Union, with "slightly under 10 acres under roof," is really two buildings separated by a pleasant canyon walkway.

Union Director Dan Adams shows off the circular Kiva Room, a flexible meeting room.

Max Becherer / Staff
Students enjoy new couches at Student Union entrance to ballroom.

The UA's new Student Union, one of nation's largest, is a sea of food, services and amenities

You could call the place "Unionville." It's practically a small city unto itself.

The new Student Union Memorial Center at the University of Arizona is a bustling community of 14 restaurants and cafes, an enormous bookstore, a theater, a post office, a bank, an art gallery, a ballroom, 23 meeting rooms, seven lounge areas, a copy center, a computer lab and a video game arcade.

Did we mention the Clinique counter, the Great Clips hair salon and the Mojo Records music store?

The new union, essentially completed except for finishing touches, will hold a grand opening celebration Feb. 17-22.

An expedition through the four-level, $60-million structure reveals 405,000 square feet of student-
focused real estate.

"That's slightly under 10 acres under roof," said Dan Adams, director of Arizona Student Unions.

"This place is big, one of the largest student unions in the country," Adams said. "But it's not about size. The important thing is the diversity of programs and services we have for students."

Most areas of the union also are open to the general public.

"The public is encouraged to come into the building, but at times people will find it pretty crowded with students," Adams said.

More than three years under construction, the building stands on a midcampus site previously occupied by the old union. Adams said officials decided to replace the 270,000-square-foot structure, erected in 1951, because it was "fatigued" with bad wiring, faulty plumbing and other problems.

"This new place is a lot better than the old setup," said Alex Shaw, a UA junior taking a break from studies and playing a game called "The House of the Dead" in the union's games room and arcade. "There's more room and almost everything is new."

The building comprises two adjoining segments separated by an open passage known as "the canyon."

An outdoor "rotunda" area features a circular courtyard with an artificial waterfall and places to relax between classes.

Major tenants, space-wise, in the new union are the expansive UA Bookstore and the 20,000-square-foot Arizona Ballroom. Substantial room also is dedicated to a Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and the offices of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

"This is a really impressive facility," said Doug Hartz, president of the UA student body, which numbers about 35,000. "It offers a whole range of opportunities for students.

"The union is going to be, as it should be, a centerpiece for the institution," Hartz said.

Adams said the building, designed by MHTN Architects of Salt Lake City, is fully accessible to people with disabilities.

"It's really nice and it seems pretty accessible, but the aisles could be a little wider in some cases," said Brian Mote, a UA sophomore who uses a motorized wheelchair.

Mote, like many other students, has sampled several of the union's dining options.

"I really like the On Deck Deli," he said. "They make good sandwiches."

Not up for deli fare? Other options include such food-court standards as McDonald's, Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, Chick-fil-A and a gourmet coffee place called Java Jive. Also in the food court, on the union's second level, is Louie's, a cheese-
steak-style restaurant echoing the name and fare of Louie's Lower Level in the old union.

Other eateries include the Cellar Restaurant, Cactus Grill, Cafe Sonora, the Redington Room buffet, the Canyon Cafe Bistro and 3 Cheeses & A Noodle Italian Ristorante. Food also is available at its convenience store.

Most of the restaurants are up and running, but a few - including Louie's, Chick-fil-A and the Canyon Cafe Bistro - are scheduled to open by mid-February.

"I see the union as a place to get my books and get my food - and there's lots of food here," said junior Kristin Albert, relaxing at a table on the patio of the food court.

Yet the union is about more than keeping hunger in check.

The building's 23 meeting rooms include a circular Kiva Room resembling the kiva ceremonial chambers used by some ancient and modern Indian tribes.

"The speaker stands in the middle of the room with natural light coming in from above," Adams said. "The audience sits around the speaker."

The union's 340-seat Gallagher Theater is designed for use as a meeting or lecture room as well as a movie venue.

Students who go to the union to study may pursue the quest for knowledge in the easy-chair comfort of the seven lounges.

"I find this is better than studying in the library," said Taryn Harris, a senior who settled into a lounge chair to plow through a tome called "The Glorious Cause."

"It's lighter and cleaner, and it's new furniture," Harris said. "And it's usually a pretty quiet place to study."

One lounge, the USS Arizona Lounge, carries on the previous union's theme of solemnly remembering the battleship sunk during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Other attractions for students include the lower-level games room - equipped for pool, table tennis and arcade games.

Adams said the lower level - which also includes a performance area, TV lounge and computer lab - will stay open until 4 a.m. daily. Hours for the rest of the union are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

While many students gave the new union high marks, some offered only faint praise and others panned the project.

"It's nice. It's modern. But you know, it's a little complex," said sophomore Layne Phillips. "I just want a union to be a general help place."

Senior Chrissy Rosengren finds little to like in the new building.

"They're institutionalizing consumerism," Rosengren said. "It's filled with all kinds of unnecessary material B.S."

Another senior, Amy Metzger, misses the old building.

"It had a sense of history," Metzger said. "This one is too modern - a little less homey."

Adams acknowledged that the new digs won't please everyone. But he said planners made a sustained effort to find out exactly what students wanted - even conducting a survey to learn their favorite foods.

Student body President Hartz believes the union will appeal to students because it fills a niche.

"I think the building as a whole really adds another element to the education that's offered at the university - the social element that's a major part of campus life," Hartz said.

* Contact Doug Kreutz at 573-4192 or at dkreutz@azstarnet.com.