The main campus entrance at Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and FGCU Boulevard will make more of a statement this fall when new features including a 75-foot tower monument and new lake fountains are scheduled to be completed.
Designed by Studio+ Architecture of Fort Myers and Waldrop Engineering of Bonita Springs, with the direction of a steering committee of university faculty, students and staff, the project is meant to enhance the first impression of the FGCU campus.
The tower will rise on the northeast corner of the entrance and will have the FGCU Eagle logo near the top. A new, 100-foot-long wall monument bearing the university’s name also will be installed in the median between the incoming and outgoing lanes of FGCU Boulevard.
“The project is intended to create a welcoming entrance that is more monumental and is distinctive to FGCU,” says Director of Facilities Planning Tom Mayo. “The tower and median sign designs are bold and elegant, contrasted by all-native-species landscaping to enhance the subtle, natural character found throughout our beautiful campus.”
Work on the project began in May, when the original concrete entrance signs were removed and a number of mature trees and other native plants were relocated to other parts of the grounds. The area of improvements is confined to the previously developed right-of-way and does not impact any of FGCU’s natural preserves. Wright Construction of Fort Myers is handling the installation.
The entrance makeover began concurrently with an underground utility project that Lee County is conducting along the east side of Ben Hill Griffin Parkway from FGCU’s north entrance road to FGCU Boulevard. That project will still be under way after FGCU’s entrance is finished.