University of Wisconsin plans $19 million renovation and expansion of residence dining hall

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The University of Wisconsin at Madison (UW-Madison) will spend $18.8 million to expand and renovate a dining complex shared by a pair of residence halls. Construction is expected to begin in May 2026. 

Rheta’s Market was built in 1959 to serve both Chadbourne and Barnard Hall. Since its last renovation in 2007, the university has grown exponentially, and the dining hall can no longer sustain the increased traffic volumes. Not only will the renovation project ensure the complex is brought back up to code, building an addition will accommodate a larger student population. 

UW-Madison will start with reconfiguring Rheta’s Market’s back-of-house space to streamline flow from the building’s loading docks to the coolers and improve access to the residence halls. Renovation work will focus on creating a new food hall, revisioning the servery and dining space and installing additional food units to better serve residents. 

As part of the project, the university will enhance accessibility at the hall’s ground-level entrance by adding a vestibule, stairs and a lift to improve access to the main floor. The entrance will also receive a nearby check-in station, and UW-Madison will relocate and convert the existing convenience store into seating areas. 

The addition will greatly expand the dining hall’s available square footage, featuring ample furnishings such as built-in counters, stand-up and sit-down tables, benches and other seating options. The university will update the building’s interior finishes with new floors in the dish room, back-of-house and dining areas and replacing the ceiling with hard-lid tiles. Plans also include stylizing the serving counters, installing a slightly higher flat roof, improving the HVAC system, fixing stormwater and sewer drainage issues and installing updated fire protection systems. 

Photo courtesy Wikimapeditor, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons