For those on campus this summer, watching the activity around the University Commons construction has been fascinating. A common refrain, “Why am I so fascinated by bull dozers and dump trucks that I have to keep checking to see what’s happening?”

Maybe it’s compelling to watch because so much is happening on a daily basis, and it’s fascinating because the demolition process has peeled back the façade of Kuch Center and allowed folks to peer into exposed tunnels and walls not normally visible.

Maybe it’s because it’s just hard not to watch the process of demolition, and a lot of demolition has occurred over the last two weeks. The Kuch Hospitality Suite is gone, along with the Kuch Center pillars and entryway on the field site. Temporary walls have been built up inside the gym, but not before folks got a peek.

Getting to look into the famous Castle tunnels also proved fascinating. In answer to those wondering about the purpose of the huge pile of dirt near Brubaker where the exposed tunnel , the answer is no, it’s not the footing for the bridge that will connect from Grey Towers Castle into the second floor of the Commons. It’s just a pile of dirt that will eventually be redistributed, though it is in the general area where the bridge will go.

Also under construction now are two new exits from the gymnasium. One will replace the “roll-up” door on the parking lot side of Kuch, the other will be from a former storage area.

For more information about Commons construction, contact Tom Macchi, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Capital Planning, at macchit@arcadia.edu.