Gonzaga University announced today that it formally has approved plans to build a $60 million, 168,000-square-foot University Center on the site of its current student union building, known as The COG, on the west side of campus.
Demolition of the COG is scheduled to begin in July, and the new University Center is expected to be completed in the summer of 2015.
Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said in a press release, "As we look to the future, we understand what a transformational impact this facility will have for our campus."
The new building will include two levels of residential dining and several retail dining locations, as well as an 800-plus seat multipurpose ballroom and new homes for the University Ministry, the Center for Global Engagement, and other groups.
Hoffman Construction Co., of Portland, is the general contractor on the project, and Opsis Architecture, also of Portland, is in the final design stages on the building. Bernardo-Wills Architects PC, of Spokane, is the associate architect on the project.
Gonzaga estimates about 1,000 workers will be involved in on-site labor, and another 500 people will be involved in off-site fabrication and administration.
At $60 million, the project is the largest in the Jesuit school's history, Gonzaga said.