Students at the Downtown Phoenix campus will see a new student union in a building that now houses as downtown post office, although there is no set date for the project to be finished.
The federal government has yet to sell its post office located at Central Avenue and Fillmore Street to the city of Phoenix. The city would then need to lease the building to ASU before renovation can begin, said Patrick Panetta, associate director of University Real Estate Development.
“There really isn’t a target date yet because there are so many other things that need to happen first,” Panetta said. “It’s going to at least be a couple of years though.”
The three-story building is just north of what will be Civic Plaza Park, which is designed to serve Phoenix residents and also provide a place for students to hang out, said Jann Blesener, director of university architecture and planning.
The main goal of the planned union is to give students more places to socialize, Blesener added.
“We want students to have some place to get together with friends and relax. We’re also hoping with the park, it will be another way to link ASU to the city of Phoenix and its residents,” Blesener, said.
The top floor will house administrative offices for ASU personnel, meeting spaces and areas for student affairs, similar to the Tempe campus’ Memorial Union. The main floor, which is currently used as a post office, will be a television lounge area. However, post office boxes will still remain in the building on the main level.
The University Architect’s Office is also hoping to have restaurants, some retail shops and for the south side loading dock to open into a large outdoor patio area, Panetta said.
The patio area will ultimately link Civic Plaza Park to the student union building.
The building’s lower level will be devoted to student organizations and recreational areas.
Students had mixed thoughts on the plans to create a Downtown student union.
“The new [student union] will definitely bring more of a college atmosphere, but Tempe will still be the main place where students at ASU go to socialize,” nursing freshman Mariah Lyons said.
But nursing freshman Brittney Mendoza said she was more hopeful.
“I hope [the student union] is like the one in Tempe because then it will give us more diversity and more choices for things to do and places to eat,” she said.
Reach the reporter at sheydt@asu.edu.
