University of
Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, NE 68182-0010
• Tel (402) 554-2444
• Fax (402) 554-3787 Contact: Greg Trimm
• Toll-free
UNO-MAV-ALUM (402) 554-3368
www.unoalumni.org gtrimm@mail.unomaha.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 1, 2005
W.H. Thompson Alumni Center getting addition,
renovations
(OMAHA, NE) — Eleven years after
it last grew, the W.H. Thompson Alumni Center again is adding more space and
updating its look.
The Alumni Center on Aug. 1 will close for five
months as it undergoes a major addition and renovations. Located on the
University of Nebraska at Omaha campus at 67th and Dodge streets, the Alumni
Center is one of Omaha’s most popular rental facilities. Since opening in
September 1994 it has hosted 350,000-plus guests and more than 10,000 business,
personal and other event functions.
The addition will include a new club room
capable of seating up to 144 guests and increasing the facility from 6,868 to
9,854 square feet of event space. Including the existing ball room, the center
will be able to accommodate functions of up to 450 people. Additional service,
office and restroom space also is being added, and the décor of the entire
facility is being updated.
More of the changes can be viewed on the Alumni
Association’s website at www.unoalumni.org/alumni_center/center_renovation.
Stan How and Associates, the architectural firm
that led the 1994 Alumni Center renovation/addition, was contracted for the
upcoming enhancements. Hawkins Construction will serve as general contractor.
Since 1994 the Alumni Center has generated
nearly $1.8 million in gross revenue, aiding the facility’s owner, the UNO
Alumni Association, in its mission of supporting the university. The update
will cost $1.8 million, funded through past Alumni Center revenues and a
capital fund-raising campaign. “The changes are expected to generate greater
revenues through increased bookings, enabling us to provide more support to the
university through increased facilities and increased revenues,” says Greg
Trimm, director of alumni facilities.
The Alumni Center will remain open for all
functions until Aug. 1. Work on the Alumni Center is scheduled to be completed
by the end of 2005 and the building to be fully functional by Jan. 1, 2006.
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