Dutton Avenue Facility Honored For Construction Excellence

by Lori Scott Fogleman

One of Baylor University's recently completed buildings, the Dutton Avenue Office and Parking Facility, is winning industry raves for excellence in design and construction.
The $10 million, 400,000-square-foot facility, built by McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and designed by Dallas-based Carl Walker Inc., was recognized by Texas Construction magazine with two awards: the Best of 2003 Award in the educational (college/university) category and the Best of 2003 Merit Award for Architectural Design.
"We are very proud of the work McCarthy Construction and Carl Walker have done in helping us capture the historical architecture of Baylor University in this new 'front door' facility," said Rick L. Creel, assistant vice president for operations and facilities.
Texas Construction's Best Of 2003 awards competition marks the seventh year that the magazine has solicited entries from contractors, designers and other firms from throughout Texas for the projects thought to be meritorious enough to be considered for an award. The winners were announced in the magazine's December 2003 issue.
In addition to the Texas Construction award, Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. honored the Dutton Avenue facility with its North Texas Chapter 2003 Merit Award for institutions in the $5 to $15 million category.
The four-level Dutton Avenue Office and Parking Facility provides the Baylor campus with 1,200 parking spaces; 23,500 square feet of office space to support information technology, academic and administrative departments; and 5,500 square feet of restaurant/retail space, which houses the nation's first Chili's Too on a college campus and a full-service Starbuck's. The complex, which is located on the northwest corner of campus off Interstate 35, also features two, 7,000-pound spires on its two towers.