Union to partially open for RNC

The furniture has arrived, the marble floor is almost completed and administrators have begun to move into their sparkling office.

And after being closed since seniors finished their first year at Penn, a newly renovated Houston Hall is slated to open for activities in late summer's Republican National Convention.

"We're somewhere in the ballpark of the week of [July] 24th," said Tom Hauber, who will manage the entire Perelman Quad complex upon its completion.

According to Hauber, all that remains to be done in Houston Hall is the completion of the marble floor on the first floor of the building and the installation of furniture in that same area.

The end of construction on Houston Hall marks the completion of an $87 million dollar campaign to construct Perelman Quad, which consists of College, Williams, Houston and Logan Halls and Irvine Auditorium.

A landscaped corridor between the quad's buildings --ÿWynn Commons -- was completed in late May as scheduled, Hauber said.

However, Hauber noted that when the building opens for partial use in late July, the food service in the first floor of the building will not be ready for customers, though it is scheduled to be ready for next year.

Houston Hall -- including the food service area -- should be completely open around August 15, he said.

While Hauber noted that some events during the RNC will be held in Houston Hall, Director of Conference Services Jeff Barta said he couldn't release exactly what would be held in the newly renovated student union. He did, however, confirm that it would be used for RNC activities between July 31 and August 4, the dates of the convention.

Spokeswoman for Office of the Vice Provost of University Life Leah Smith said that the University would soon start marketing the new and improved student union to students -- especially the ones who haven't seen it before.

"Only the senior class knows what Houston Hall is," she said. "For other students, it's a matter of getting it in their vernacular."

To this end, she said, Penn is planning an entire week of activities in September to get students back in the habit of stopping by Houston Hall every so often.

She said that plans included open houses and tours, a time capsule dedication and a donor reception and tour.

CUPID -- a New Student Orientation event -- will be held in Houston Hall this fall, which Smith said is a plus for the facility.

"That will help with the first impression," she said. "It's an ideal time to have an event like that."

This year, the annual "No Place like Penn" week will also be known as "No Place like Penn at Perelman Quad" to help encourage students to use the facilities.

Houston Hall's third floor, now completed, has office space, meeting space and lockers for student use.

The second floor, also completed, houses a large student government meeting room, the Office of Student Life and the administrative offices of Perelman Quad.

And when completed, the first floor will, among other things, be home to the food service area. Cafe Bon Appetit -- who manages Penn's dining services -- will provide the dining services in the new food court.

Smith said that the various offices and meeting spaces in Houston Hall while ensure a high degree of student traffic in the building during the day.

"With the Office of Student Life and the student government offices that are there, the students will find that this is a place they need to go," she explained.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.