A two-block area in the shadow of the Campanile along Medary Avenue’s west side has been identified for redevelopment in a project of the SDSU Foundation and the Alumni Association.
The Alumni Green consists of a new Alumni Center connected to the Jerome J. Lohr Building that is home to the Foundation. The plan also calls for a University House on the block directly to the north. The University House would be the residence for the university president and a hospitality venue. The capacity for events in each (250 for a sit-down dinner in the Alumni Center, and 30 to 35 in the University House) fills a void that exists in on-campus venues.
Both buildings will have views that capitalize on their proximity to the Campanile. TSP Inc. of Sioux Falls is the architect.
Three existing buildings-Tompkins Alumni Center, the Sorenson Building and a facility owned by the SDSU Foundation-will be removed. The Tompkins and Sorenson names will be preserved on campus. Woodbine Cottage, an 1887 house that has served as the president’s home since 1903, will remain.
Construction will be funded through private gifts, said Steve Erpenbach, president and CEO of the SDSU Foundation. The entire development is estimated to cost $9 million. Nearly $2.5 million has been committed.
Construction would begin once fundraising goals are met and programs within the three existing buildings have been relocated. The earliest that could occur is in the fall of 2015.
The SDSU Foundation and Alumni Association boards have endorsed Alumni Green. “With 70,000 living alumni and more than 2,000 new degrees conferred every year, Alumni Green, the Alumni Center and University House will become destinations for those coming home to campus,†said Andi Fouberg, president and CEO of the Alumni Association.
