Parking, Pizza, Track, Trees
Some universities slow down over summer. Not Tarleton.
With fewer students and employees on campus, summer is the perfect time to focus on new construction, renovations and dining options. All ready for the best fall in Tarleton history.
Here’s a snapshot:
Design is underway for Tarleton’s first parking garage at North Saint Felix and West Washington Streets, creating more spaces for students and employees and making it easier for visitors to attend campus events.
The former Hydrology Building will open its doors as the reimagined home to Athletics Administration and a success center for student-athletes.
Featuring an outdoor multifunctional pool, the much-anticipated Aquatics Center will be a big splash for students and the community, and an indoor pool with bleacher seating will bring competitive swim meets to Stephenville.
Tarleton track and field is set to receive a permanent home ahead of the 2022-23 athletics season, with construction ongoing at Harbin and Frey streets. With eight lanes and certification by World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, the facility ensures the university’s eligibility to set world records and host professional and international events. The multi-use infield will be the new home for Tarleton Rec Sports.
The Memorial Stadium north end zone is being enclosed and stands are being added to increase capacity to nearly 24,000. The existing field suites will relocate to the south end zone. The expansion enhances a $26 million facelift, finished in 2019, that added reserved seating on the stadium’s west side, a high-tech video board and a lighting system that meets broadcast requirements for nationally televised football games.
The Child Development Center will reopen in the renovated Moody Hall and Tarleton’s Center for Child Well-being will relocate there. The Joe W. Autry Building (College of Agriculture and Natural Resources) is getting a fresh look, including an updated foyer and renovation of the Dr. Jesse L. Tackett Auditorium.
Trees, trees and more trees. You’ll find them, and new landscaping, along Texan Trace between Honors Hall and the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center. The trees are replacing (two for one) those destroyed in ice storms.
Improvements to the west entrance of the Barry B. Thompson Student Center include new terrazzo floors, new lighting and ceilings. The Tarleton Center is also seeing changes. Renovations to the south side will increase capacity and make the building more efficient for operations supporting university admissions.
Pizza and pretzels? Both, please.
Pasadena, Calif.-based Blaze Pizza will command the main entrance to the Dining Hall, and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will join the food court in the Student Center near the updated Chick-fil-A.
A place to enjoy the new offerings is coming, too — Sunshade, a covered outside dining area between the Student Center and the Dining Hall. Oscar P’s General Store, offering general merchandise, will take the location formerly known as the Texas Village Clubhouse.
And dirt is moving for the Interprofessional Education Building in Fort Worth. With move-in set for 2024, the $66 million IPE Building will address the region’s two most pressing needs — increased access to quality healthcare and education.
Tarleton has always been inspired by special places. Places that build engagement and great impact.
That’s not changing. Not this summer.