After almost 20 years in the heart of the NIU campus, the Martin Luther King Commons is undergoing renovations.

The project started in the last week of May, when the university noticed how the weather was dismantling the property and its value.

“The shivering winters and scorching summers has left the brick work and overall concrete worn,” said Jeff Daurer, director of capital budget and planning.

Issues such as the water drainage system from dreadful storms and deteriorating pipes was the purpose for creating a new MLK Commons area, Dauer said.

“It is looking tired in many ways,” said Patricia Perkins, assistant to executive vice president of capital budget, and overseer of the MLK Commons project. Perkins also was apart of the project team that help create commons 20 years ago when it was transitioned from a parking lot to now being a popular traveling crossroads for students to and from class, as well as the focal point for First Amendment actions on campus.

The budget for the total reconstruction project was not to exceed $525,000 and was approved by the NIU Board of Trustees at its meeting on March 26. The funding for the new MLK Commons area was a collaboration of the university and the Illinois Capital Development Board.

A majority of the old concrete area will be reduced and replaced with more grass and flowerbeds, Perkins said. Old trees that overshadow the area will be removed and new trees, like Aspens, will be planted to provide some yellow and reddish coloring in the fall. In the process, the old circular shape will now be altered to a more crescent shape, giving the new area a more modern look.

“The MLK Commons area should expect a substantial completion before students return in August for the fall semester,” Daurer said. “We understand that this area is an eminent space that connects students and reconstruction will make it a beautiful place once again.”