J. Wayne Reitz Union
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University of Florida J. Wayne Reitz Union |
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| Reitz Union | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Student union |
| Location | Gainesville, Florida, USA |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Renovated | 1975, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2016 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Barrett, Daffin |
| Website | |
| http://www.union.ufl.edu/ | |
Coordinates: 29°38′46″N 82°20′52″W / 29.64611°N 82.34778°W
The J. Wayne Reitz Union is the student union of the University of Florida, located on Museum Road on the university campus in Gainesville, Florida. The building, which was originally completed in 1967, contains dining facilities, meeting rooms, offices, a computer lab, a game room, an outdoor amphitheater, retail stores, a movie theater and a hotel.
East of the Reitz Union is the Constans Theatre, a performing arts venue. Although the two buildings are connected, the Constans Theatre is not managed by the union.
The University of Florida's original student union building was called the Florida Union, and opened in 1936 (now known as Dauer Hall). At the request of president Albert A. Murphree, former U.S. Senator William Jennings Bryan assisted in the fund-raising for the Florida Union, and he was aided by the students who agreed to pay an extra fee so that the facility could be built. However, in time, the sentiment was that this building was too small and a new student union would have to be erected to meet the demands.
Plans for the new facility were crafted in 1948, however the project wasn't approved until May 1962. It took two years to secure funding, and the ground breaking was on May 9, 1964. The building was officially completed and opened to the students on May 1, 1967. Financing for the union was accomplished by a statewide revenue certificate program for higher education generated and supported by fees of students of all state institutions of Florida. The financial start was in October 1951, when the student body voted a small fee to be set aside for the construction of this facility. Subsequent actions by the student body, the university administration, the Board of Control (now the Board of Regents), and the State Board of Education made the union possible. There were no tax funds used in the construction or furnishings of the building.
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