Coffman Fun Facts

Did you know? ...

• Coffman’s ground floor alone has more square footage (130,000) than most large colleges’ student unions.
• Coffman’s air and heating systems have enough capacity to cool (or heat) 220 average homes. This is the first time the building has ever had air conditioning.
• The fountain that sits in the terrace outside the fireplace lounges on the first floor was cast in bronze in 1620 by sculptors Pietro Tacca. It was donated to the University in 1961 by James Ford Bell. The fountain is one member of a trio of fountains; the other two remain in Florence. You can see the fountains in the movie “Hannibal.”
• To increase the theater from 259 to 400 seats (without a single obstructed view), the entire roof of the building had to be raised 10 feet.
• Coffman has enough electrical capacity to power 170 average homes.
• The new Chick-Fil-A® in Minnesota Marketplace on the ground floor is the first Minnesota location for the popular southern chain restaurant.
• Coffman is one of only two or three student unions in the country with escalators. It took about 148 hours and 8 workers to guide the 53-feet long, 23,000-pound escalators into place.
• Coffman’s second floor is entirely devoted to student organization offices and cultural centers. In fact, all of the University’s cultural centers are now located in Coffman.
• The Whole, since its inception in 1960, has a long list of famous performers, including Garrison Keillor, Jim Croce, Bonnie Raitt, the Replacements, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden and Green Day.
• The new 46,000 square-foot University Bookstore (compared to Williamson’s 13,000 square-feet), holds the area’s largest selection of academic, medical, scientific and reference materials.
• The renovation added several new entrances to Coffman, including the tunnel to East River Road Garage to the basement, the south doors on the ground floor next to the cafeteria, the glass cube on Washington Avenue, and the north front entrance.
• The terrazzo flooring in the north front entrance is original to the building and was uncovered beneath orange quarry tile installed during the 1970s. Also discovered were the two brass line-art drawings of Coffman and Northrop.