Final design set for East Hall

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, January 9, 2014

The original core of East Hall, the birthplace of Western Michigan University, will be the sole focus of renovations of the building into the new alumni center.

The renovation is intended to preserve the building's historic designation and at the same time incorporate a high level of sustainable building features.

A decision about the final building configuration was made so that design work could be finished in anticipation of a spring 2014 start to construction. Construction of the new WMU Alumni Center is expected to be complete by summer 2015.

The north and south wings of the building, built in 1908 and 1909, respectively, will be demolished before construction on the alumni center begins, with the likely timetable for demolition likely to be late February or early March. During the design process, WMU officials said it would take nearly $20 million in additional funding to preserve the exteriors of the wings and conserve the interiors for future use.

University officials and teams from design firm TowerPinkster visited other alumni centers around the nation to see some projects of similar size and budget including those at Iowa State and Kansas State universities as well as renovated facilities at the University of Notre Dame and the Kresge Foundation.

The budget for the WMU Alumni Center has been set at $21.4 million. Funds include $15 million borrowed by the University in the fall as well as $1 million donated by the WMU Alumni Association. The remaining $5 million-plus will come from additional private gifts. Funds raised in excess of the project budget will go into landscaping for the site.

"People are genuinely excited about the potential for this project," says Jim Thomas, WMU vice president for development and alumni relations. "We're working to build a center that preserves and transforms the University's birthplace into a facility that serves both the campus and community and showcases that long and strong relationship."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Cheryl Roland, Western Michigan University