Bigger, better and more visible is the theme for the
relocation of the retail services currently located on the
ground floor of Homewood's Gilman Hall, a 90-year-old
building that is on tap for a significant interior
renovation.
Earlier this fall, the board of trustees' Building and
Grounds Committee authorized the formation of a Design
Review Committee to select an architect and construction
manager for Gilman. The preliminary plans call for
modernizing much of the facility and adding new classroom,
office and study space. Safety improvements and the
renovation of the majority of the ground floor to house the
departments of Near Eastern
Studies, Classics and History of Art, and an archaeology
museum, will be done first, with construction expected to
begin in May 2007.
To make way for renovation crews, the
Johns Hopkins Federal
Credit Union has signed a lease for an expanded
Homewood branch to be located in Charles Commons, the
university-owned mixed-use complex that is scheduled for
completion by summer 2006. The 3,000-square-foot branch,
which is expected to open in the fall, will feature more
staff, six remote teller stations and a street-accessible
ATM.
A new M&T
Bank branch will open in the immediate vicinity of
campus. M&T is currently evaluating its options in terms of
location and size of the new branch, which, according to a
spokesman for the bank, would open concurrently with the
closing of the Gilman branch so as to minimize disruption
to its customers.
To help offset the move of the banks and provide
convenience to their customers, more ATMs will be installed
in university buildings. Some sites under consideration are
Levering Hall, the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and Charles
Commons. The ATMs located in Gilman Hall and Wolman Hall
will remain.
Charles Commons, located on the corner of North
Charles and 33rd streets, will be anchored by a
substantially expanded
campus
bookstore, to replace the 9,000-square-foot store
currently in Gilman. Barnes and Noble College Booksellers,
which has operated the Johns Hopkins store since 1981, will
also operate the new store.
The two-story, 29,000-square-foot facility will
function both as the university bookstore and retail store
for the community. It will feature a greatly expanded
general reading and academic reference department, a
mixture of seating options and wireless Internet access
throughout the store. The first floor will contain a
periodicals section and a cafe serving Starbucks coffee and
a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods. The
second floor will house Johns Hopkins curriculum course
books, school supplies and a dorm shop. The store, whose
decor will celebrate Hopkins' history, will also offer an
enhanced selection of JHU insignia clothing, gifts,
greeting cards and other sundries.
David McDonough, senior director of development
oversight for Johns Hopkins Real
Estate, said that the bookstore will be clearly branded
Johns Hopkins, right down to exterior signage and use of
the Hopkins Blue Jay. McDonough said the expectation is
that the new store will not only serve the university and
local communities but in time will become a destination for
those visiting Baltimore, with an appeal similar to that of
the Harvard Coop and the Yale Bookstore.
The new Johns Hopkins bookstore is scheduled to open
in fall 2006, but the Gilman Hall store will handle the
sale of academic books for 2006-2007 to avoid complications
during that critical time.
The U.S. Post Office branch in Gilman Hall will cease
operation in June. A UPS store providing the same services
is planned for the west side of Village Commons, a
residential-commercial development currently under
construction on both sides of the 3200 block of St. Paul
Street. Village Commons, a Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse
project, is scheduled to open in fall 2007. Within the
development will be condominiums and space for retail,
restaurants and a 500-space parking garage.
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