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University Advancement’s 175 staff members will relocate this month as Boston College takes initial steps toward the opening of a new Alumni Center on the Brighton Campus.
Advancement employees currently housed in More Hall will move into the newly renovated and re-constructed facility at 2121 Commonwealth Avenue starting on Feb. 13. Employees from the 1280 Boylston Street building are scheduled to follow later that week and Alumni House staff will begin their relocation during the week of Feb. 20.
In addition to bringing all Advancement staff together under one roof, the new Alumni Center will also serve as a “home away from home” for the University’s more than 162,000 graduates. Once the employee move is complete, alumni will be welcomed to the new center for volunteer meetings, seminars, alumni and parent receptions, or to catch up on the latest Boston College news and publications, check e-mail or enjoy a social visit.
“It will be a game-changer to have such a wonderful space dedicated to the mission of advancing Boston College,” says Jim Husson, senior vice president for University Advancement. “The Alumni Center will only strengthen the relationship our alumni, parents, and friends enjoy with Boston College and facilitate our community efforts to make BC an ever-greater University.”
The centerpiece of the Alumni Center is a sun-lit, 3000-square-foot, three-story atrium area that will provide an informal gathering space for alumni and staff. The atrium can also accommodate up to 200 people for special events or meetings.
The Alumni Center will provide open workspaces for 175 employees throughout the three above-ground stories. The building also includes four conference rooms, a larger boardroom, and ample record storage areas. Its renovated lower level includes a student calling center, training and project rooms, and additional storage space. Lighting and HVAC units for the entire building are computer-controlled to maximize energy efficiency.
Originally constructed by the Archdiocese of Boston as its Chancery in 1962, the building housing the new Alumni Center was acquired by Boston College in 2007. During a yearlong project, the main building was gutted and completely renovated, a wing that had originally served as a convent was razed, and the new atrium/office extension was constructed.
Interior décor and landscaping will be fully completed by the end of the academic year in anticipation of a public open house to welcome alumni, parents, and friends to this new visitor center in the fall.
ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, a firm specializing in educational facilities, designed the new building. Lee Kennedy Co. Inc. of Quincy was principal contractor for the project.