Christendom Unveils Renovated St. Lawrence Commons

Christendom’s freshly renovated St. Lawrence Commons was unveiled to the college community on Friday, August 19. Complete with a new state of the art serving area, the best possible soundproofing available, a new speaker system, and more, the Commons now provides students, faculty, staff, and visitors with an improved, beautiful location to enjoy fresh meals and deep conversations during their time at Christendom.

Vice president of operations Mike Foeckler and his team began planning the renovation last year, after determining the need for improvements to the existing serving area and dining area of the Commons.

“We felt that we were constrained with the existing serving area, and we wanted to increase the flow for obtaining food during dining hours, increase the customer satisfaction, and keep up with the current best practices in the higher education food industry,” says Foeckler.

The first major renovations came to the building’s serving area. The space was enlarged exponentially to create an open marketplace, complete with a salad bar, a deli bar, a warming drawer for hot rolls, and a new gas-burning brick pizza oven, which will serve hand-tossed pizzas daily. Stations for homemade soups and desserts were built as well, along with a new rotisserie oven, an allergy-free zone for gluten, nut, and dairy-free foods, and a demo counter, which will serve as a carving station, sushi station, chopped salad station, and more. A station for make-your-own waffles was built as well, in addition to a station for cereals, breads, and a grab-and-go case for lunchtime hours.

The new serving area will enable a better flow for visitors to the Commons, and gives them a variety of new dining options.

Major renovations were made in the dining area as well, particularly to the soundproofing of the room. The high quality soundproofing system was fashioned into the ceiling, dramatically reducing the amount of noise in the room, allowing for better conversations at tables. A new, state of the art sound system was installed as well, which will improve daily announcements and talks, including the college’s Major Speakers series.

The dining area’s mezzanine seating area was also enlarged. The overall changes increased the amount of seating in the room, allowing for more comfort during dining hours.

All of these changes, including a fresh paint job, new columns, and decorative ceiling beams, result in a beautiful space that fulfills the original vision for the Commons, and maximizes the potential of the building for years to come.

“By working on the renovations to the Commons during the summer months, we were able to go the extra mile and truly accomplish our goals for improving the space. I want to give a word of thanks to Chef Dennis for his invaluable input in the project, especially in regard to all of his plans and designs. We were able to see his vision through, with the incredible help of Petrine Construction, resulting in the building you see today. It truly feels like a new building now, and we hope everyone enjoys the renovation,” concluded Foeckler.

See more photos at the link below!