McIntyre Mall Gets a Facelift
From a distance, McIntyre Mall looks slightly changed, but walk the newly resurfaced campus central and the differences are evident.
Built in the mid-70s from octagonal paving blocks, the entire mall is now poured concrete of two colors with four large "A"s in the center. A History Tower, a brick column containing engraved insets featuring the Alma College song, school colors, founding quote and a dedication to C.S. and Marion McIntyre, replaces the original angled-roof kiosk.
The renovation was made possible a year ahead of schedule with a generous $250,000 grant from the C.S. and Marion F. McIntyre Foundation in the summer of 2004.
C.S. McIntyre was a member of the Alma College Board of Trustees from 1952 to 1982 and founder of the foundation. His son, James "Mac" McIntyre '69, received a degree in business administration and has been a member of the College's Board of Trustees for over 20 years. Mac serves on the board of the McIntyre Foundation, which has been a frequent contributor to Alma College.
He said the foundation gave the money "to make sure Alma stays Alma. The people the students, the professors, the administrators, the cleaning staff; everyone's a bunch of really nice people. The Mall is the most visual part of our gifts to Alma College. We're happy to help in our little way when we can. I'm extremely happy with how it turned out."
The Mall had suffered through numerous Michigan winters and was in need of repair, but unfortunately the original blocks for the mall were out of production. The newly renovated mall blends seamlessly with the rest of campus and centers on the History Tower.
Visitors to campus can see a few key facts about the college by reading the stone insets. New landscaping has been added and benches will be added as soon as they are manufactured.
Alma's students passing daily through the new Mall on their way to class have commented favorably on the renovation. Kristi Bartholomew '04 said, "It's nice to have the old stones replaced and the surface smoothed out. And I really like the additional greenery."
