Construction for Long Beach State’s new alumni center has been pushed back until November 2020, it was previously scheduled to start construction in 2018.
The site for the new building will replace the Soroptimist House, a building that used to serve as the student union back in 1960. The alumni center will be a single-story 6,300-square-foot building.
Demolition is expected to start in summer 2020, and construction is scheduled to finish in February 2022.
According to Mark Zakhour, the director of design and construction services, there is a long process of permits and approvals needed before they proceed.
“We’re moving as fast as we can,” Zakhour said. “You have lots of permitting from external companies to go through before construction.”
On CSULB’s 70th anniversary there was a groundbreaking ceremony for the building to mark the start of construction for the new building.
Our great university was founded 70 years ago today on Sept. 28, 1949. @CSULB celebrated Founders Day by breaking ground on the new Anna W. Ngai Alumni & Visitor Center. @CSULBASI Pres. Velasquez joined President Conoley and @csulbalumni lead-donor Anna Ngai for the celebration! pic.twitter.com/1QzYukQjUh
— CSULB ASI GOV (@csulbasigov) September 28, 2019
The design phase will take nine months to complete.
Following the design is six months of permitting, which will be used for demolition, according to Zakhour. The construction of the alumni center is projected to take 12 months.
A total of $8.5 million came from external donors to fund the project, according to Jeff Cook CSULB associate vice president of strategic communications.
“The center will bring students and alumni together for a variety of activities including career development, networking, and mentoring opportunities,” Cook said. “The space reflects the lifelong role alumni play in the life of the university.”
The alumni center will have a gallery in the main corridor, offices for university public relations staff, staff cubicles and meeting rooms with tables that will sit up to 35 people.
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CSULB
“This is really a home for students or alumni,” Zakhour said. “We want this to be a place they can gather or just hang out and be comfortable in.”
The building will feature a family lounge area with a fireplace, a small library for students and room for smaller gatherings. There will also be an exterior backyard area for either events or day-to-day meetings with standing room for up to 250 people.
As far as the Prospector Pete statue goes, he doesn’t have a home yet but construction services and the alumni board will be working to figure it out.
“He will have a home somewhere in this project, we just don’t know where yet,” Zakhour said.
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The square footage of the building is incorrectly listed at 300 square feet. The project is actually 6,300 square feet.
It’s going to be the offices for university PR staff? That’s kind of weird. Seems like it would be a better home for the Alumni Association Staff.