The McNamara Alumni Center at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

's Twin Cities campus in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Designed by

Antoine Predock Antoine Predock ( ; born 1936 in Lebanon, Missouri) is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC, the studio he founded in 1967. Predock first gained national attention with the La ...

, it is one of the more architecturally striking buildings in the Twin Cities. The building, opened in 2000, contains two main components: University office space and 10 meeting rooms for University and public use. The University owns the land, but the University of Minnesota Gateway Corporation, consisting of the U of M Foundation and U of M Alumni Association, owns the structure.

Overview

Located at the intersection of University Avenue and Oak Street SE (200 SE Oak St, Minneapolis, MN 55414), the landmark building occupies land formerly home to Memorial Stadium and its interior features an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

that was once an entrance to the stadium. The building opened in February 2000 and is named for Richard McNamara, a 1956

alumnus Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

of the university and former Gopher football player. Architect

was chosen in 1996 to design the structure. KKE Architects of Minneapolis served as the project's executive architect and general manager. About of copper clads the rectangular portion where university offices are located, including those of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. Granite supported by 500 steel beams forms an asymmetrical geode-styled area of the building featuring an interior public Memorial Hall, tall. Some 2,200 rose-colored granite blocks weighing up to each form the geode's exterior. The structure required of

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies underg ...

. With ten versatile rooms, all on the first floor, the center is a popular Minneapolis conference, gala and wedding reception venue. In 2015 more than 750 meetings and events were held here. Voted Best Meeting Venue by Minnesota Meetings & Events magazine 2007 to 2012, McNamara has many conveniences, including tunnel connections to an adjacent 500-car parking ramp and hotel, quick highway access and award-winning D’Amico Catering onsite. The rental demand for special event spaces at the center and growth in operations of the University of Minnesota Foundation and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, both housed in the center, prompted the University of Minnesota Board of Regents to approve a $9.7 million expansion. The addition, designed by Predock, included office and event space as well as an expanded restaurant. Construction began in 2009 to coincide with the opening of the adjacent

TCF Bank Stadium Huntington Bank Stadium (formerly known as TCF Bank Stadium) is an outdoor stadium located on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The stadium opened in 2009, after three years of construction. It is ...

with funding provided by the ownership consortium. The addition was completed in 2010 and created an additional of space allowing for improved traffic flow in the building and reducing foot traffic through events, specifically in Memorial Hall.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 44.975106, -93.227741, display=t, type:landmark Buildings and structures in Minneapolis University of Minnesota Antoine Predock buildings