Davidson is ramping up planning for a new dining hall to replace Vail Commons. DLR Group, the architecture and engineering firm leading the initial planning process, came to campus last week to survey and gather student input. This work is part of the broader feasibility study phase that will determine, among other things, what the dining hall will look like, key menu options and how much it will cost to build.
The plan to construct a new dining hall, or “Dining Commons”, was made public in the campus plan released in February 2025. The dining hall will be in the corner of the old tennis courts, below Qdoba and adjacent to the chiller plant. Vail Commons will be renovated and converted into a fitness center, which will replace the gym in the Union.
Most of the old tennis court lawn will remain an open outdoor space, or as Director of Facilities David Holthouser put it, “the big, flat, old-tennis-court lawn, much as you have known it.”
The planning team considered renovating Vail, but ultimately decided against it.
“It became pretty clear that Vail’s existing infrastructure, delivery configuration and back of house allocation would likely not deliver the outcome we wanted, even if it were renovated,” Holthouser wrote in an email to The Davidsonian.
Vail was built in 1981-1982. The planning team determined that the infrastructure, delivery configuration and back of house allocation that served the needs of students in the 80s and 90s is not as well suited to serve 21st century diets. Health guidance, dietary needs and expectations around campus dining options have changed significantly over the past four decades.
“These have come in the way of growing allergy issues, a much more diverse student body calling for more authentic international cuisine and faith-based menus, and more health-conscious generations of students,” Richard Terry, director of auxiliary services, wrote in an email to The Davidsonian.
The menu is still in the works, and Terry said it should be “established without using processed foods.” There is a high likelihood that the salad bar will remain, and an allergy free concept will be added. The exact form the dining hall will take, such as Vails’ stations-oriented process or something different, is still up for consideration.
Campus Architect Teera Games said Swarthmore College dining is one of the “inspirational projects.” Swarthmore’s “Dining and Community Commons” was designed by DLR Group, the same firm leading Davidson’s feasibility study.
The College has not yet finalized a timeline for construction. The feasibility study must first come back with numbers on how much the dining hall will cost to build. Then the planning team will have to figure out how it will be financed. Only then, according to Terry, can the College begin to plan when construction will begin.
In addition to dining, the new space will also include a campus store, an event space, catering services and room for building services.
There is a rage of familiarity among students when it comes to the new dining hall. Some are totally unaware that this is happening. Others have heard of it but didn’t know Vail will be converted into a fitness center. There are mixed feelings across the board.
“The charm of Davidson is that it’s so small, and building a new dining hall is kind of just opening up for more expansion and then more use of the land,” Cole Erikson ’26 said.
Bea Marchesani ’29 said she likes Vail, but she’s noticed that her friends with different dietary needs can struggle to find enough to eat. Julia Carey ’27 has celiac, an autoimmune condition where eating gluten damages the small intestine and cross contamination is a serious issue. She said Commons “absolutely doesn’t” have enough safe options.
“I do think that food is a major issue for a lot of people here, and it is time for [Vail] Commons to get a revamp in one way or another,” Carey said. “If they say that’s the only way to do it, then that’s the way to do it.”
DLR hosted an “engagement session” last week to solicit student input in addition to a survey emailed to all students. Feedback from students, according to Terry, is “critical” to developing the dining hall.
“The feasibility study is not the be-all-end-all for what the facility and program will ultimately be,” Terry wrote. “When the college moves into the design phase for the new building, there will be additional opportunities for student input.”