New campus park location coming in October
Students at Eastern Michigan University may have noticed Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, that the fences around the construction area near the Halle Library were taken down. What used to be the Brown and Munson dorm buildings is now a grass field.
Walter Kraft, Eastern's vice president of communications, said the goal was to create an outdoor space where students can feel comfortable and decompress.
“It’s exactly what everybody envisioned," Kraft said.
The new green space is part of an initiative to make campus more open and welcoming.
The Welcome Home Plan
The Welcome Home Plan began with the construction of Lakeview and Westview apartments, which were finalized in August 2024. The two housing complexes were envisioned as modern facilities with student comfort in mind.
The next step of the plan was to demolish the Brown and Munson dorm buildings to open a green space where they used to stand.
Throughout the whole process, EMU invited students to give input by participating in focus groups and helping the university decide what students need on campus.
Kraft said he hopes that the new green spaces will be used and loved by students.
“I want to give credit to the facilities plant and the great design team," Kraft said.
The new green space already seems to be appreciated by lounging geese and squirrels darting up and down its trees. Students are now welcome in the space to enjoy it for themselves.
New park coming to campus
The other dedicated green space, located where the Jones and Goddard residence halls used to be, still needs a little more time.
The soon-to-be-unveiled park will feature streetlights to keep the area lit at night. Brittany Mobley, the university's senior media relations specialist, wrote in a statement that along with grass and trees, the space will feature plazas and elements of the former buildings.
The park is being built around the courtyard that used to be hidden by the old residence halls.
Now it will be a space for students to do homework and relax, classes to meet, food trucks to park on campus, and more, Kraft said.
The space is scheduled to be completed in the beginning of October 2025.
In the meantime, the university invites students to enjoy the newly unveiled green space in front of the Halle Library.
