University Union Expansion

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The University Union is being transformed with an 85,000 square foot addition and a complete renovation of the existing building. The Brand New U will have expanded event, dining and student group space, a more open and spacious interior, and new main entrances connecting the new and renovated plazas on the north and south sides of the building. The new north plaza at the front of the building will connect the addition to Towson Way, Burdick Hall and the College of Liberal Arts.

Features of A Brand New U

• Double the space for student activities & organizations
• A 300-seat auditorium/movie theatre
• A new food market with seven food venues, including Dunkin’ Donuts 
• A relocated and expanded Career Center
• A 15,000-square-foot ballroom  

Project Impacts

Traffic and Pedestrian Information

The Union Garage will remain open during the project. Guests visiting the Union should access the building through the first floor entrance facing Burdick Field or the second floor entrance off of the Union plaza. The project site map shows pedestrian pathways and accessibility routes. If you have limited mobility and are having difficulty navigating around the project, please call 410-704-RIDE (7433) and a TU Paratransit will help get you where you need to go.   

Services & Dining 

Susquehanna Dining remains open through spring break of 2020. Visitors can access it via a new entrance closest to the second-floor main doors. Susquehanna will close after spring break and reopen in 2021 as an open-air food market. The renovated Glen Dining Hall will open after spring break with new amenities and modern dining options. Paws will remain open with added options as well as Food Trucks in Paws Pavilion.

The University Store remains open on the second floor of the Union in the former Potomac Lounge space. The Post Office, Ticket Office and all other dining locations remain open with normal hours.

Events

Union event space will be available on a limited basis throughout the project. Event spaces may be impacted by construction noise. To better accommodate meetings and events during the project, new space options have been made available in academic buildings (for meetings), the West Village Commons, Auburn Pavilion, and Minnegan Room (for events). We suggest you visit the Reservations page or contact Event & Conference Services to talk through the best location for your event. 

Progress

Progress is underway on a Brand New U! Phase one of the project is complete and phase two has begun. Portions of the first and second floor lobbies are sectioned off to make way for a new grand stairwell connecting and grounding the space. The steel framework for the east addition is taking shape with the north addition framework to follow.

Project Timeline

Construction is divided into two phases. Phase one is comprised primarily of a new three-level addition to house an open food market and new main entrance along Towson Way. Phase two focuses on renovations to the existing building. Key project milestones are provided in the timeline below; see the full phasing map for the location of specific offices throughout the project.

DATES	Milestones
Fall 2018	The Susquehanna Terrace is closed on the east side of the Union. Construction begins on the new addition located on the building’s north side. The Potomac Room, Loch Raven Room, and Susquehanna Terrace are closed and converted into a temporary location for the University Store.
Winter 2018	Construction begins on the new University Store on the first level of the building.
Fall 2019	The Patuxent Dining Room is taken offline to begin the creation of a dynamic food market in the combined Patuxent & Susquehanna space.  The Chesapeake Rooms are taken offline at the end of the semester.
Winter 2020	New stair openings are constructed in the first and second floor lobby areas.
Spring 2020	Susquehanna Dining Hall is taken offline, while the renovated Glen Dining Hall opens nearby. Construction begins on the new theatre, multipurpose room, Career Center, offices and south food market in the existing building space.
Summer 2020	The University Store moves into the newly-renovated space on the first floor of the Union. Construction begins on Student Life offices in the former Potomac and Loch Raven Rooms.
Spring 2021	The additions to the north and east side of the Union open. The new space includes ballrooms, third-floor meeting rooms, second-floor lobbies, a new theatre and food markets. Campus Life and Student Activities move into their completed offices in the former Potomac Room. Renovations begin on offices for the Center for Student Diversity, Student Life, Auxiliary Business Office, Art Services, Post Office, and Paws.
Summer 2021	New space opens for the Center for Student Diversity, Student Life, Auxiliary Business, Art Services, and Paws.
Late fall 2021	A Brand New U is complete as new space opens for the Career Center, Student Life, Civic Engagement and Enrollment Marketing.

Why we are expanding

The Union is the most frequently-used building on Towson University’s campus, housing student activities, student group and meeting space, and retail and dining options used by the entire campus community. An update is in order to expand and transform the Union for Towson University’s current campus population of approximately 23,000 students, versus the 9,000 students enrolled when the building opened in 1972. 

news and updates

2020

Progress on the Brand New U - what you need to know - 1/25/2020

What to expect this spring at TU - 1/24/2020

2019

Construction Update - Patuxent Bistro - 8/8/2019

University Union Construction Noise - 4/16/2019

Planned Electrical Outages in the Union - 3/15/2019

Progress Update on A Brand New U - 2/13/2019

2018

Closure of University Union East Entrance - 10/23/2018

Construction Update: A Brand New U - 7/26/2018

How the University Union expansion will affect meeting and event spaces on campus  - 04/02/2018

How the University Union expansion will affect meeting and event spaces on campus - 03/30/2018

Construction Update: A Brand New U - 3/26/2018

Construction Update: A Brand New U - 3/19/2018

Construction Update: A Brand New U - 3/15/2018

A Brand New U - 3/14/2018