Taylor University campus leaders updated students and fielded questions regarding the Campus Master Plan and Main Street Mile Initiative on Tuesday, April 14 at Habecker Hall.
Andrea Masvero (‘96), the director of 1846 Enterprises, and Chris Jones, the vice president and chief of staff, led much of the hour-and-a-half presentation. President D. Michael Lindsay and Skip Trudeau, vice president for student development and intercollegiate athletics, also answered student questions moderated by Michael Hoover, student body president and senior psychology major.
A crowd of approximately 50 students were shown concept images covering general updates on construction projects like Paul and Barbara Gentile Hall, Bond-Servant Plaza and the freshman-only parking space.
Gentile Hall
The construction of Gentile Hall was described as a “big Lego game” by Jones. As previously reported by The Echo, Gentile Hall will house 117 students in Fall 2026. Masvero also revealed it will be the first residence hall with laundry rooms on every floor, generating applause from students.
Gentile Hall will host the honors program and the Spencer Center for Global Engagement on its bottom floor. The second and third floors will be women’s floors, and the top floor will be a men’s floor. Each wing will have a dedicated lounge area, in addition to each floor’s lounge.
The decision to create a new hall came from focus groups with students, conversations with the Board of Trustees and the projected feasibility of project completion, Masvero said.
New chapel
An example of the practical impact of focus groups on Taylor’s future was seen in the design of the upcoming chapel. Concept images showed the new chapel as a larger, scaled-up version of Rediger Chapel, with disability access, a large floor seating area and a U-shaped upper deck with special bench-style seats. Lindsay also specified that Rediger will still be in use as a multi-purpose auditorium.
“Sammy swarmed one of our listening sessions and said, ‘We must have benches, we have to make room for one more!’” Masvero said. “We changed the design and put in benches (on the upper level).”
Bond-Servant Plaza
A concept layout for Bond-Servant Plaza showed a large green space on the south side of the LaRita Boren Student Center featuring an amphitheater and a 50-foot cross. Described as an event space, the plaza will have spaces for small-scale wing and group events, large rows in the amphitheater for halls and Bro-Sis events and enough green space to host “up to 4,000 people,” according to Masvero.
“This is a big space,” Jones said. “The middle green will all be a very high-quality turf, and so, on a warm day, as soon as the snow melts, it won’t be muddy. It will be very usable.”
The gift from the Bond family will be used for the plaza, the new chapel, extra parking and other areas. The plaza will be named in memory of Billy Bond, while the “Servant” half references being servants of Christ, Lindsay said.
The Taylor Loop
The Taylor Loop around campus will still be a feature. With the new chapel and welcome center being built, the Loop will now connect to Reade Avenue around the west side of the welcome center and plaza, connecting to Winterholter Field and the route students know and love.
The current road between the student center and the Rupp Communication Arts Center will end in front of the student center to allow for easy pick-up and drop-off, as well as events like Shop the Loop.
Taylor is also increasing the walkability of the campus. To add to the sidewalk updates on Main Street, Taylor will update the paths of Taylor Loop and Taylor Lake trail to connect to the Cardinal Greenway – a 62-mile walkable and bikeable trail that stretches from west of Marion to Richmond.
“We have worked hard to create a safer and more pedestrian-oriented campus,” Masvero said. “It’s kind of a multi-year process.”
New athletic complex
The western side of campus was given some time to shine as the new Glass Track and Field Athletic Complex will be built next to Gudakunst Field. The complex will be across the street from the new intramural fields and women’s lacrosse/multi-purpose field on the north side of the Hodson Drive dead end. Also on the north side of Hodson Drive will be the freshman-only 300-plus parking area, “Trojan Parking.”
Trojan Parking
Jones answered questions regarding Trojan Parking’s safety, acknowledging that the new parking lot is farther from the center of campus. He said the area will be paved, well lit and feature security cameras, police blue-light warning systems and emergency call boxes for students who would like rides back to their dorms or feel unsafe. He also said Taylor has hired another full-time officer and several part-time officers to help with the future extra demand.
“It will be a well-lit area and not a dark corner anymore,” Jones said.
Main Street Mile Initiative
The Main Street Mile Initiative also announced the name of its planned hotel, the “Collegiate Inn,” showed the concept of the expansion of the Upland Public Library, and broke down the three-node update process for students.
Freshman Noah Wilkins felt the explanation of the Initiative’s accomplishments was more than helpful.
“With the Main Street Mile, so many people talk about it, but I had no idea what it was actually doing,” Wilkins said. “Getting to actually hear what their goal is with Main Street and getting to see how they want that to connect … it was just cool to get to come in and listen to them explain what’s actually happening.”
Timeline
Masvero and Lindsay concluded by providing a timeline for Taylor’s many projects.
Taylor Lake trail is projected to be paved before Commencement 2026. Gentile Hall’s first half will be finished before the upcoming fall semester and will be completed by Spring 2027. Trojan Parking and the intramural fields are scheduled for completion in Fall 2026, and the new track and field complex has a projected ribbon-cutting of Homecoming 2026.
Bond-Servant Plaza and the new chapel and welcome center are scheduled to open in Fall 2027. The Upland Public Library expansion is to be completed by Labor Day 2026, while other projects within the Main Street Mile Initiative are projected to be finished by December 2028, including the Collegiate Inn.
Student turnout and reception of the presentation were encouraging, Masvero said. The in-person connection with Taylor students helps her present what is happening on campus directly to the people it will affect.
“I really appreciate Taylor students,” she said. “They’re respectful and engaged and curious.”
Student reactions were generally positive following the event.
“It was good to hear from the sources themselves,” Spencer Pardee, junior biology major, said. “I feel like too often at Taylor, word spreads by mouth…for us to hear, as students, directly from the sources — this is what’s going to happen, here’s a timeline for it — it allows us to create a much more realistic picture in our heads.”
Taylor said updates will be posted in announcements emails, and student focus groups will continue.
Taylor is also offering tours of the construction sites in the near future. Sign-ups and questions regarding any of the projects can be sent to construction@taylor.edu.
