Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Furniture That Balances Form and Function

  • 04/01/18
furniture for dining hall

Thos. Moser Contract provided furniture and insight during a much-needed dining hall replacement at DePauw University.

The new Hoover Dining Hall is a transformational space for the DePauw University campus, offering a variety of rooms that seat 750 students, faculty and staff of this small liberal arts college in Greencastle, IN. Hailed as a much needed replacement to an existing dining hall that blocked important views on campus, the new facility is a well-liked and important hub for the university.

The main dining room, which seats up to 460 for three meal seatings each day, can be reconfigured to seat 364 for lectures and other events; a mezzanine provides an additional 112 seats for dining. The 80-seat Wallace-Stewart Commons accommodates faculty and staff dining and also acts as the University Board of Trustees’ meeting room, while four special dining rooms seat groups from 12 to 50.

As associate vice president for Facility Management, Warren Whitesell was heavily involved with the Hoover Hall project. He and his team worked directly with Robert A.M. Stern Architects to make a number of critical decisions regarding finishes, materials, and the overall look and aesthetic of the multiple dining and food service spaces.

The firm introduced Whitesell to Thos. Moser Contract and the custom pieces that would provide the right balance of form, function, and longevity for the facility. “After an initial introduction to the Thos. Moser Contract brand, we decided to start on creating the dining chairs first,” says Whitesell. “As we got closer to pinning down the product, I started to engage directly with Thos. Moser Contract, and they even came out to DePauw to show us what they completed based on their conversations with the architecture firm.

“Beyond providing the most competitive pricing, the company was always receptive and happy to provide updates and information throughout the process, often unprompted. From stain samples to video of the fabrication process, information was constant and much appreciated.”

www.mosercontract.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management April 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.