The Hawk spoke with Kevin Mueller, MBA ’22, senior director of construction and planning, via email Sept. 12 to confirm details regarding the new Kelly Academic Plaza located in front of Merion Hall. The plaza will serve as a natural gathering space for members of the St. Joe’s community. 

Is there an official opening date for the new Kelly Academic Plaza? 

Kelly Academic Plaza and the accessible walkway to the Merion Hall quad are expected to open in October of this year. A fun side note: There will be lawn games available for checkout from the O’Pake Recreation and Fitness front desk for use on the created lawn, including Spikeball, ladders, volleyball, footballs and more.

At what stage of completion is Kelly Academic Plaza? What has been accomplished, and what still needs to be done?

The new plaza and main walkway have been completed. Construction is currently underway on the secondary pathways to connect to existing campus pathways. Once that work is complete, landscaping, lighting and other site furnishings will be installed. Twelve new trees will be planted as part of the project. 

When can students expect to have access to all entrances of Merion Hall again?

Student safety is our top priority at Saint Joseph’s University. As part of the university’s campus-wide access control updates, which require students to use their IDs to enter buildings, the side entrance of Merion Hall facing Kelly Plaza will be locked. It will now be exit-only. 

We understand that this will be an adjustment for some community members, but these updates are designed to enhance security for everyone on campus. We kindly ask students to use the main entrance doors off the lobby when entering Merion Hall.

What are the accessibility features of the new design, leading from the underpass, around Foley Center and toward Merion Hall?

For the first time in the history of Saint Joseph’s University, there will be a direct, accessible pathway from the Chapel Lawn to the Merion Hall quad. This will allow all individuals to navigate safely and easily across our campus in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Previously, the accessible pathway was confusing and required a lengthy detour to Fine Arts East. Funding for the project was made possible through a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority Multimodal grant.