By Mark Lannaman
The John Lewis Student Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology held its official opening on Thursday, Sept. 29.
The ceremony was filled with students and university officials to commemorate a life of service by John Lewis. The day of celebration started with a dedication ceremony with leaders across the state in the auditorium and was followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Georgia Tech president Angel Cabrera later moderated a discussion as part of his “Conversations with Cabrera” series that featured, author Kabir Sehgal, historian Doug Flamming, scholar Joycelyn Wilson, according to the official itinerary.
John Lewis Student Center is filled with murals and quotes from the late Atlanta Civil Rights legend and longtime representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district — one of the most notable being his “good trouble, necessary trouble.”
The center brought back the fan-favorite bowling alley from the old student center, as well as added amenities like a new court and graduate-student lounge.
The student center project has been underway for over three years. It’s the latest project to be completed for the school which continues to expand. Science Square, the next large project from the school, broke ground this August.
The campus center cost $110 million to build, according to the school’s website.
Last month, Georgia Tech and its development partners solicited feedback from the student body about what they would like to see in the campus moving forward, in order to aid development of its Comprehensive Campus Plan.
The plan looks to plan out development for the school for at least the next decade. Maria Cimilluca, vice president for Infrastructure and Sustainability believes the plan will, “strengthen Georgia Tech as an anchor institution for the neighboring communities and Atlanta as a whole.”
Did they tear down the original student center, or just remodel and rename? Sure looks similar to the original