On any other campus, this building would have been called "the student union," but for the University of West Florida, since 1968, it has served as a gathering place for university faculty, administrators, staff, students, and campus visitors. The architect for this important building was Hugh Leitch and Associates.

The original Commons was to make an "architectural statement," evoking a comfortable, casual, facility--not unlike a ski-lodge. The roof was covered with clay-tile shingles, and the interior four-story "great room" displayed a massive, wood-burning double-fireplace, the focal at the north end.

In 1980 the first modifications to the original Commons Building added large group meeting rooms and additional space for the University Bookstore. By the early 1990s, additional dining space, large-group meeting rooms, and accommodations for student organizations were added, including a two-story addition on the east side of the Commons, known as the Conference Center-complete with its own entrance way and grand staircase.

While providing a place for conversation and camaraderie, the UWF Commons continues to house the University Bookstore, Post Office, Dining Services and numerous other accommodations supporting the UWF campus and the community.

The Next Larger Picture by John E. Jarvis, Jr. Published by the University of West Florida Foundation, Inc., 2008.