The University of Central Arkansas’ $16.7 million Donaghey Hall is almost full of tenants, and its outside resident — Otis the bear — will be unveiled at 2 p.m. Saturday during homecoming.
T.J. Johnston, director of special university projects and community affairs, said he has seen the completed stainless-steel bear that UCA art professor and sculptor Bryan Massey created to hang on the outside of the building.
“Otis is looking real good,” Johnston said.
The bear is 15 feet long, 8 feet wide and weighs about 2,000 pounds, Massey said.
Johnston said the simple ceremony to unveil the bear will also serve as the grand opening of the building. He said remarks will be made by a handful of speakers, including Sheila Vaught, chairwoman of the UCA Board of Trustees; Kyle Tabor, owner of Blue Sail Coffee; and Massey.
The four-story, 67,500-square-foot building at Donaghey Avenue and Bruce Street has 15,000 square feet of commercial space on the bottom floor for restaurant, retail and office space. Students live on the upper three floors.
The Marble Slab Creamery is open; Blue Sail Coffee was “a matter of days” away from opening, Johnston said Monday. Both businesses have other locations in Conway.
Johnston said the last tenant — if negotiations go as planned — will be Chainwheel, a bicycle shop that also has a location in Little Rock. “It’s been around something like 45 years,” Johnston said.
That business will have 2,000 square feet on the Bruce Street side of the building, Johnston said, which originally was the location of Makerspace. It has moved to a 1,100-square-foot space on the Donaghey Avenue side of the building.
“It’s actually a better use of the space,” Johnston said. He said 2,000 square feet “was adequate but maybe a little bit spacious for our startup.” He said Makerspace is a physical space dedicated to making things, whether it’s woodworking or 3-D printing applications.
Scheduled to open in November is Uncle T’s Food Mart, which takes the biggest part of the bottom floor — 3,700 square feet.
Mosaique Bistro and Grill, the only restaurant in the building. will occupy 3,500 square feet. The restaurant, which was granted a liquor license, is owned by Johnny Ho, who also owns Umami Sushi Lounge & Grill Fusion in Conway and Russellville.
Ho said the restaurant will have a “soft opening” before UCA is out for the Christmas holidays and “officially open when New Year’s hits.”
Johnston said students are giving UCA officials positive feedback about the building.
“It’s not true black-and-white data on how they feel, but we talk to them when they come out [of the building] — they’re all happy,” he said. “They’re excited about the businesses opening on the bottom floor.
UCA junior Camri Williams of Little Rock was sitting at a picnic table at the front of Donaghey Hall, where she lives.
“I do love it,” she said of her residence. “I love the new feel of it. It feels like I live in a hotel. I love having the stores down here; it’s very convenient. I’m looking forward to Uncle T’s — I’ve never been to one.”
Donaghey Hall is the cornerstone of the Donaghey Corridor Project, which includes sorority houses that opened in August. The board of trustees has given approval for Greek Village Phase 2, fraternity houses that will be built on the east side of Donaghey Avenue. The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity already has a house on Donaghey Avenue.
UCA has bought homes along Donaghey Avenue and is in negotiations for a couple of others, Johnston said Monday. The district primarily includes Donaghey Avenue and stops at about Robins Street, Johnston said.
The Donaghey Corridor development has been compared with The Village at Hendrix, and Johnston has said they are “similar.”
“It’s been a positive project,” Johnston said.“It couldn’t be any better. Not one negative comment has come through me. It’s been really well-received.”
Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock designed Donaghey Hall, and Nabholz Construction and Doyne Construction partnered to build it. The project is being paid for through bond proceeds, which will be repaid through student-housing fees and tenant-lease revenues, Johnston said in an earlier interview.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.