(June 25, 2020) – This past spring, the Facilities Downtown Campus painter, James Roe and assistants, Raul S. Garcia and Eric Fernandez gave the Frio Street Building (FS) commons area in the food court a new look. Originally painted a dark, brownish color, the area appeared dated and needed a fresh look.
The FS commons, located adjacent to the bookstore on the first floor of the FS North, is usually a very busy place when classes are in session. With events and students studying throughout the day, it was nearly impossible to complete touch ups much less a total makeover. However, the Facilities team was able to take advantage of the university’s transition to virtual learning and telecommuting and spend almost 150 hours giving the area a facelift.
The team removed artwork, patched and sanded holes and dings in the walls, repaired columns, cut-in, and furred-out multiple levels and moved tables and chairs to make room for a lift and other equipment. According to the team, “the walls were so dry that it took two coats to cover everything. They just kept soaking it up.”
Even with a few challenges along the way that included a lift that was too short, unexpected structural repairs, and multiple levels of artwork that had to be temporarily removed, the makeover that started in mid-March was successfully completed in May. George Wurth, Facilities Assistant Director for Downtown Campus said that “after all the years of touch ups only, it was time. A brighter look and feel made sense.”
