The Barometer Online

The exterior of University Center nears completion on the corner of Kings and Monroe. The $6 million building is owned by the OSU Bookstore and will lease residential and commercial units. Justin Runquist The Summer Barometer [Click to enlarge]

[Click to enlarge]

At the close of Spring term, the large building taking shape on the corner of Kings and Monroe loomed large like a massive question mark in the minds of many OSU students.

As the start of the school year approaches, the OSU Bookstore, which owns the building and property, has introduced its project, the University Center.

The Center offers a combination of both commercial and residential spaces and contains 43,000 square feet of floor space over three stories. The first floor is a retail area divided into 10 commercial units for businesses, catering to students and foot-traffic along Monroe. The second floor is a combination of office spaces and residential apartments. And the third floor, set back from Monroe Street by a stone-filled terrace, is for residential apartments.

Steve Eckrich, General Manager and CEO for the OSU Bookstore, described the $6 million University Center as an investment. He said plans had been in place for the Bookstore to relocate to the Monroe Street location if their lease in the Memorial Union was not renewed. But a new lease had already been negotiated for their MU location by the time of groundbreaking.

"By the time we started construction, we already knew we'd be staying [in the MU]," Eckrich said.

For now, the University Center will remain as a backup location and source of income for the Bookstore, Eckrich said.

"The Bookstore's not going anywhere," Eckrich said. "We're staying right here."

John Malosh, assistant manager at the Bookstore, said reactions from businesses moving into the Center have been positive.

"We're looking for relatively small businesses to benefit campus," Eckrich added.

Businesses that have already signed up and plan to be open by Fall include: Dutch Bros. Coffee, Sargo's Sub sandwiches, Qdoba Mexican Grill and an express branch of Hair, Body and Soul day spa.

Standing in the currently empty retail space of the first floor, Malosh explained several points behind the building's design as construction crews worked.

"It's Oregon -- we wanted to bring [in] as much natural light as we could," Malosh said, pointing to the floor to ceiling glass that fronts the retail units.

Noting the distant ceiling two stories above, Malosh explained the height of the retail units and abundance of natural light will dispel much of the subtle claustrophobia felt by some customers.

When the last stages of construction are finished in early September, it will have been one year since the foundation for the building was poured. Dividing walls between each retail unit space will be put in as the spaces fill, Malosh said.

Eckrich and Malosh said they hope to have all the business units on the first floor, along with several office spaces upstairs, occupied by the end of the year.

On the Jackson Street end of the building, Hair, Body and Soul co-owner Scott Mattson worked on the early stages of construction for his and his wife's business, planned to open Sept. 1.

"I think it'll be a good location in walking distance from campus," Mattson said.

Unlike Mattson's main branch of the day spa in town, the Center's Hair, Body and Soul location will focus on faster services like manicures, pedicures, tanning and waxing.

Mattson hopes to draw foot traffic from the main pedestrian corridor along Monroe to the back with the aid of a sign on the side of the building.

Lisa Mattson, who spoke over the phone, reminded that the Monroe Street location will be a branch of the day spa and the original location will remain open.

Upstairs in the residential apartments, a number of tenants were already moved in. In all, there are 19 apartment units, 16 of which share the same floor plan. Malosh said the apartment units went on sale in June with one-year or six-month leases and month-to-month rent available. Rent for each two-bedroom apartment breaks down to $850 a month.

Rand Cooper Properties, Inc. will manage the Center for the OSU Bookstore.

For the main layout design in each apartment, the front door opens into the living room area with a tall window dominating the far wall. Immediately left is the kitchen and to the right is the single bathroom. Flanking the living area on each side is a bedroom.

Malosh described separating the bedrooms as a much-discussed design aspect, which will hopefully give residents an increased sense of space and privacy. Although the apartments are open to everyone, Malosh said most will probably be occupied by students because of their proximity to campus.

"We try to make [the apartments] student-friendly and tried to incorporate what students would want," Malosh said. "Students are looking forward to living above Dutch Bros."

Thus far, 12 of the 19 apartments have been rented out.

Billy Renz, a student in psychology, will move into a University Center apartment in the coming weeks.

"I'm stoked to be moving into my own place," Renz said. "Dude, it's awesome. There's no reason for me not to go to class."

Both Eckrich and Malosh said the Corvallis City Planning Commission was happy with the University Center and it helps to fulfill the goal of having a mix of both residential and business spaces in the same complex. The two are looking forward to reactions when the majority of the OSU student body returns in the fall.

"They're going to come back and see a nice addition to Monroe Street," Eckrich said.

Peter Chee is the city editor for The Summer Barometer. He can be reached at baro.city@oregonstate.edu.

Article Tools