Construction and Renovation Projects

Construction > Cowell College Dining Commons

Cowell College Dining Commons Renovation Project

The Cowell Dining Commons will be undergoing renovation from May 2008 through March 2009.

Residents of Cowell and Stevenson, and others who normally eat in the Cowell Dining Commons, may eat in any open dining hall—as is always true. To ensure prompt service, especially at peak times, the Cultural Center at Merrill College will be open for lunch (M-F 11:00am-3:00pm) and dinner (M-Th 6:00pm-8:00pm) during the project. UC Santa Cruz dining will be preparing fresh, organic specialties at Merrill, in addition to classic favorites. The Crown/Merrill Dining Commons at Crown will also be open on its regular schedule throughout the construction, as will the Porter/Kresge Dining Commons at Porter, College Eight/Oakes Dining Hall at College Eight, and College Nine/Ten Dining Commons.

Other spaces at Cowell that will be out of service through March 2009 include: the Cowell Coffee Shop, the Fireside Lounge, and the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery.

The project has two purposes:
1) Seismic retrofit—to upgrade the Cowell Commons building to the latest earthquake safety standards; and

2)  Dining hall improvements—to renovate and remodel the kitchen, servery, and dining area of the Cowell Dining Commons. Some of the planned improvements include new made-to-order serving stations, wood-fired pizza oven, Mongolian grill, and open-air patio dining.

Questions about the Cowell College Dining Commons project? Contact Jim Carter, College Administrative Officer, at (831) 459-3642 or ejcarter@ucsc.edu.