The dining hall that housed 805 Kitchen and The Avenue will be called 1901 Marketplace when it reopens in a little over a year. The name references the year Cal Poly was founded.
Cal Poly Corporation is putting $30 million, about 38% of its $80 million renovation budget, toward 1901 Marketplace. The new dining facility has been under construction since spring 2021, and is set to be completed in spring 2023. Students can expect to see the fully functioning facility in fall 2023.
The renovation of Building 19 will provide a gathering place for students and create a similar dining atmosphere to that of Vista Grande Dining Complex, according to Cal Poly Corporation spokesperson Aaron Lambert.
“[1901 Marketplace] is just another gathering place where students can come and sit and hang out with their friends, get out of their dorm rooms and have a study area that’s not in the library,” Cal Poly Corporation spokesperson Aaron Lambert said. “It’s supposed to be more of a community gathering place that you can just happen to get food at.”
The open layout of 1901 Marketplace is modeled after designs like the Ferry Building in San Francisco or Chelsea Market in New York City. The concept is also similar to that of Vista Grande, with an open-air breezeway and walkway.
Cody VanDorn is the CEO of Cal Poly Corporation, which manages Campus Dining. VanDorn said in a news release that 1901 Marketplace will transform the building from a “humble cafeteria” into a community space.
Prior to Vista Grande Dining Complex, The Avenue and 805 Kitchen was Cal Poly’s main dining hall. The renovation of The Avenue and 805 Kitchen will complement the future renovation of the University Union, according to Cal Poly Corporation’s featured projects site.
Planners say the space will include nine vendors including Panda Express, The Habit Burger Grill, Chick-fil-A and some Campus Dining original creations.
Similar to The Avenue, each food venue will focus on one specific cuisine, including Mediterranean and Mexican. Pop-ups with local restaurants, vendors and Cal Poly groups will also be part of the facility. Campus Dining also ensures the new facility will include allergen-free and healthy options — which has been a concern among Cal Poly students.
According to the news release, the building will be environmentally sustainable, with an energy-efficient design, low flow taps and large windows.
The name was chosen to honor the year the school began, 1901, and to be a clever tie-in to its building title: Building 19. The process of naming went through many levels of ideas and feedback.
Cal Poly reached out to various student groups including ASI, Inter Housing Council and Campus Dining student employees using Hive Wise, a collective intelligence platform. The goal in mind was to make sure that student feedback was a main factor.
“We knew that a new space would play such a significant role in the lives of students,” Lambert said. “So, research was done, collaboration happened, ideas were created and shared and edited and recreated and reshared.”
