The School of Industrial and Labor Relations started construction on King-Shaw Hall last week, according to an email sent on Sept. 26 by ILR Dean Alexander Colvin, Ph.D. ’99. The building will undergo renovations, featuring the addition of two brand new spaces: the ILR café and an ILR student commons.
The construction is expected to take 12 to 14 months, and the projected completion deadline is set for the Spring 2027 semester. The project will also include renovations to Dolgen Hall and the Thomas P. Golden Courtyard, creating a new hub for ILR students: the ILR student commons. This space will also include the Offices of Student Services and the ILR Registrar.
Colvin wrote in a statement to The Sun that he hopes “the new ILR café and student commons will enhance student life by providing a space outside the classroom for students, faculty, and staff to gather and interact.”
“ILR students have long expressed interest in having a café in our buildings,” Colvin wrote. “Planned renovations to King-Shaw Hall created an opportunity to both add a café and create a new student services commons space that will free up room to create additional classroom space in Ives Hall.”
Though there are countless other cafés on campus, a café specific to the ILR community does not exist. The ILR café will be the college’s very first eatery, accessible to the entire Cornell community.
“Cornell Dining currently operates 18 cafés and coffee shops across campus, with a variety of concepts and offerings,” wrote Paul Muscente, Director of Cornell Dining. “In partnership with the ILR School, Cornell Dining collaborated with the project team, foodservice designers, and stakeholders to develop a café for this community.”
Colvin believes that having a café within the ILR college will provide a more open environment for students to gather.
“Having a café within the ILR building complex is intended to provide a more convenient, accessible place for students to go between classes in Ives Hall or while studying in the Catherwood Library,” Colvin wrote.
Colvin affirmed that student input is being incorporated into the design and offerings of the new ILR café.
“We organized a student focus group with Cornell Dining, who will run the café, to generate menu ideas and sample potential offerings,” Colvin wrote.
Over the next year, Cornell Dining will continue to plan and discuss the development of the menu in the coming year.
“During the previous academic year, Cornell Dining held presentations and focus groups to develop the café concept,” Muscente wrote. “Moving forward, Cornell Dining will continue community discussions and feedback sessions, and work with ILR School leadership, the Student Assembly Dining Services Committee, and other key ILR groups as the culinary team explores the menu and offerings for the new space.”
Though the completion of the renovations is several semesters away, Colvin is confident that the project will bring students together.
“I hope the students will feel that the new facilities are a welcoming extension of the Ives Hall complex,” Colvin wrote.
Michael Ferreira is a member of the Class of 2028 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at mferreira@cornellsun.com.
