Lake Superior State University is starting construction this spring on its project to renovate South Hall into a modern business school building for its Lukenda School of Business.
Bids were awarded on the $13.5 million expansion and refurbishment of the historic building, which now will bear the name R. W. Considine Hall after benefactor Robert Considine of Trout Lake.
Considine Hall was first built as a U.S. Army barracks in the early 1900s, as part of Fort Brady. The project will consist of two phases; one to renovate its existing 32,000 square feet and upgrade its infrastructure, and one to put on a 12,000-square-foot addition to connect the two wings of the building and create an atrium. The addition will serve as a commons area with an expanded café and support space including a securities trading lab and the LSSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
David Finley, dean of the LSSU College of Business and Engineering, says the goal of the capital project is to strengthen LSSU's business offerings and position the school to help push economic growth.
"This is a very exciting time for the Lukenda School of Business. We're now firmly poised to take our already strong program to the next level, with a high-tech, state-of-the-art facility to support our efforts," he says. "With so many of our graduates garnering leadership positions in northern Michigan and Ontario companies, the completed R.W. Considine Hall will support sustainable economic development throughout the region for many years to come."
Construction is scheduled for a May 2016 completion date.
Writer: Kim Eggleston
Source: Lake Superior State University
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