NORMAL - The $6 million Illinois State University Alumni Center, the first of any project developed under the Main Street Corridor plan - will be dedicated Friday. | Video | Nearby businesses hope to reap center's benefits | Trustees to consider $4.5 million for projects

The project at 1101 N. Main St., in the works since 2006, transformed a former grocery store into a technologically advanced, energy efficient conference center.

The Georgian façade of the 43,000-square-foot site matches campus architecture.

Visitors will find a reception area with armchairs, coffee tables and a stone fireplace. The entire interior is accented with oak trim, stained a shade of cherry wood. On the left side is the ISU Foundation office; to the right, ISU alumni services.

"We deliberately wanted a different look" for the reception area, said Dick Runner, ISU facilities planning director, pointing to an exposed rafter ceiling with hanging "cloud" ceiling pieces.

Campus leaders intend for this centralized location to welcome ISU alumni with a dedicated site, giving some of its 170,000 graduates a place to call their own.

"It was one of my initial goals, wanting alumni services out of backstage Bone" Student Center, said Dianne Ashby, university advancement vice president. The alumni office previously was hidden near the first-floor lounge of Braden Auditorium.

The center isn't just for alumni. Developers also want campus and community groups to make use of the center's professional development and social function capabilities.

The center is home to five conference rooms and a service kitchen. The largest room is about 3,000 square feet, similar to the Bone Student Center's Old Main Room, said Runner.

The center brings four university advancement areas, once spread across campus, under one roof: alumni services, university marketing and communication, the conferencing unit and ISU Foundation development staff.

Marketing previously was in both Hovey Hall and the Nelson Smith Building; the conferencing unit at a former bookstore on Main Street; and the private foundation in Hovey Hall.

"It really adds some cohesiveness to these areas," said Ashby, noting employees no longer have to go cross-campus to collaborate.

Besides the alumni center's claim to fame as a genesis for Main Street redevelopment, the space represents another first as a significant step between the state's first public university and the private ISU Foundation.

"It's been a new kind of collaboration for us. It's a realty investment for them. But at the same time, the university is able to gain space for use," said Runner. The new project also has found ISU facilities staff working with the town of Normal more than in the past.

Of the $6 million purchase price, $3 million went toward a complete gutting and redesign of the building.

Though the chosen site, the former Eagle Market near West Orlando Avenue drummed up some early criticism because the location is in a retail strip mall. Runner thinks people soon will forget that metamorphosis.

He praised McCoy Construction of Pontiac for attention to detail and for breathing life into the center, creating an environment of mixed spaces.

"I think, especially once we get the landscaping out there, people will see this for what it has become," he said. The ISU Foundation is seeking bids to transform the parking lot into a green space, while retaining 200 parking spaces.

Runner pointed out the economic bargain in choosing 1101 N. Main St.: While constructing the College of Business building came at a cost of roughly $250 per square foot, and the new student recreation center at close to $300 a foot, the ISU Alumni Center renovation ran just $65 per square foot.

About 100 ISU employees moved in last week, said Ashby.

Though Friday's dedication is open to the public, the grand opening is planned to coincide with ISU's homecoming in October, she said.

Alumni Center dedication

What: Illinois State University Alumni Center ribbon-tying dedication

When: 8:30 a.m. Friday, before ISU board of trustees quarterly meeting at the site.

Where: 1101 N. Main St., Normal; parking available in front.

Details: Dianne Ashby, ISU vice president of advancement, calls the event a ribbon-tying, rather than ribbon cutting, because the center brings ISU's campus and off-campus communities together. Besides ISU alumni services, the 43,000 square feet renovated building will house university marketing and communications, the conferencing unit, and the ISU Foundation offices.

SOURCE: Office of ISU Advancement