re: What should LSU do about Middleton?

About 10 years ago Shaq was gonna donate a ton of money to either move or renovate Middleton. LSU drug their feet and couldn't decide on a plan so the donation never got made.

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It was almost embarrassing.

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There is no "almost" about it. It is completely embarrassing.

It would be great to develop the area between Fieldhouse Dr, the Indian Mounds, the buildings on the west side of the Quad, and the Design building (including Lockett, the Lockett parking lot, and the parking lots by Allen Hall and Hill Memorial Library) into a multi-use, multi-story facility similar to the Miller Learning Center at UGA or other such facilities at other schools.

Include a parking deck, a new library, classroom space, study space, computer labs, office space for functions currently located in Middleton, at least some dining options for the west side of campus, an observation area overlooking Victory Hill at the traffic circle on one side and the Quad/bell tower on the other, a covered bus pickup area, a covered walking area connected to the Design building, Hill Memorial, and all of the Quad buildings on that side.

Once the new library is open, demolish the existing Middleton and return the quad to it's original layout. Build in enough classroom space and you can get rid of both Lockett and Tureaud. Find somewhere to temporarily relocate the Dairy Store / Dairy Science, tear down Tureaud and Dairy Science and build a new Dairy Store / Dairy Science building with a full-sized campus grocery with fresh diary, meat, fruit, and vegetable products produced through the Ag School (the closest groceries to campus are currently Bet-R in the Perkins overpass area and Winn-Dixie / Neighborhood Walmart at College/Lee).

There's the first two phases of my pie-in-the-sky redevelopment plan. Phase one has a parking deck, improved classroom space, a new library, and quality-of-life improvements. Phase two adds healthy dining options and quality-of-life improvements while more closely connecting the student body and the Ag School.

Idea: instead of dynamiting it, let's let the rec take it over and turn it into the bottom floor into a gym with weights and machines, and the upper floors into the ultimate paintball or laser tag battlefield.