FSU's Oglesby Union to undergo $120 million renovation

After spring graduation in 2018, the 52-year-old Oglesby Union will undergo a $120 million renovation, which will add 17,000-square-feet of space.

Of the cost, $50 million was raised through fundraising, while the other $70 million was provided from Florida State University Administration of Finances. None of the fees for the building were obtained from student activities and services fees.

“This needs to be the coolest, eye-catching space so that every visitor that comes to this campus thinks, ‘Oh my gosh, Florida State is an amazing place,’" said Matt Ducatt, Oglesby Union Director. “This is going to be your home away from home, so you have to be able to totally engage.”

The concept is indoor-outdoor with stormproof glass walls that allow students to see what is going on inside with different groups, as well as dining areas.

“We love our building, we love our staff and we love our programs, but there is so much of the building that is not usable,” Ducatt explained.

FSU decided against a slow rollout and will start tearing the whole Union down after graduation in spring of 2018. The current plan is to have the new building completed for a soft opening in summer of 2020 and a fully functional union by fall 2020. Upon completion, the entire building will be 286,00-square-feet. Of the Union, 75 percent will be new construction.

Sweta Meier from Workshop Milwaukee, a group which has done extensive work at other universities like Duke and Northwestern, is Lead Architect. Meier shared that the building will be at least LEED silver level, which is a way of grading sustainability. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design with different credential levels determined by the United States Green Building Council.

Florida State is also working with Tallahassee architects Lewis & Whitlock, who have worked on other FSU buildings including Dirac-Dittmer Plaza, the Center for Global Engagement, Heritage Museum at Dodd Hall and more.

“We’ve been working on this for 12 years, but most recently since last spring,” Ducatt said.

A new 25,000-square-foot bookstore will be housed in the Union, and the old location will most likely be used for the post office as well as other retail space.There are also plans to include at least one gender-neutral bathroom per floor. Although inclusion of a computer lab is uncertain, there may be wireless printers throughout the Union that can be utilized.

“We want to be top 25, and this is just another piece of that puzzle,” Ducatt said. “It’s really exciting. It’s going to be pretty amazing.”