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Something I've wondered about for a long time was just why the glass building in the above rendering was removed. Most assumed the reasons were financial, and Baylor decided to prioritize other areas of the building project. Others thought they just canceled out that part of the project for lack of interest in whatever it was supposed to be. I thought it looked awesome, so I was sad to see it go.
But it might be back now, apparently, due to the hubbub over the destruction of the current Alumni Building and the potential for a replacement to be built on-site. Today, the Baylor Board of Regents is expected to vote to dedicate $17 million, a hefty sum of money for such a building, to the project. That would raise the entire Stadium project to nearly $280 million barring cost overruns. From the WacoTrib:
The new building would replace the current Hughes-Dillard Alumni Center but would be built next to the stadium, which is being erected on the opposite bank of the Brazos River from where the alumni center sits today. Baylor has plans to knock down the current building to create a grassy plaza leading to a pedestrian bridge that will connect the campus to the stadium.
Because nothing has really been decided, we don't have renderings of what this new building may look like. It could be exactly what is pictured above-- an extension of the stadium off one end of the horseshoe. It could be something completely different. We'll know more when/if they approve the funds today. If Baylor holds to form, things should go pretty quickly.
UPDATE: Looks like they are going to keep with the original idea.
A close-up view of the proposed #Baylor alumni events center at #BaylorStadium. pic.twitter.com/bIK38dn0ZW
— Baylor University (@Baylor) July 19, 2013