Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Students returning to Mississippi State's campus in August will find a revitalized and refreshed Perry Cafeteria and State Fountain Bakery waiting to greet them.
The Marketplace at Perry Cafeteria and the State Fountain Bakery were closed following the end of the May spring semester to allow renovation of the 87-year-old facility. Refurbishing is expected to be completed in time for the start of classes this fall.
MSU Dining Services executive director Michael Cervantes said while Perry Cafeteria would undergo the more dramatic changes of the two, no structural changes would be made to the classic gothic architecture inside or out.
"We will expand Perry's current seating capacity of 600 to about 700 by eliminating the meeting rooms and incorporating them into the main dining area," he explained, adding that meeting rooms will be relocated to the current area occupied by administrative offices. New administrative offices will be relocated to a spot vacated by Chick-fil-A when the Colvard Student Union opened earlier this year.
In the renovated Marketplace at Perry Cafeteria, new furniture, carpet, paint, and tiles will cover the walls and floors, and food service stations will be rearranged for better traffic flow.
Changes in the State Fountain Bakery will be more modest, Cervantes said, with new paint and a rearranged layout for better service.
Perry Cafeteria's last renovation in 1997 saw the restoration of the gothic arches gracing the area, enhanced entryways, a new roof, and mechanical upgrades.
While no official opening date has been set, Cervantes said The Marketplace at Perry and the State Fountain Bakery are expected to be open and serving students when the fall semester begins.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.