HUNTINGTON -- The new Erikson Alumni Center and Marshall University Foundation Hall on 5th Avenue is growing closer to completion with each passing week.

Construction on the project began in September 2008 with a groundbreaking ceremony. The roots of the new building date back to the late '90s.

"Before I joined the foundation, the alumni association started on a project to raise money to redo the site which their building currently is in," said Ron Area, CEO of the MU Foundation and senior vice president of development. "They had raised several million dollars but the project stalled. The leadership of the alumni association came to the foundation board, which was working on another similar project. It was decided that the groups should join forces and build one building which houses both the development operation, the foundation offices and the alumni center."

The 33,320-square-foot building will serve a variety of functions. Designed by architect Sherman Carter, the building will include both an alumni lounge and a grand conference hall for a variety of social events. The building will also feature a catering kitchen, small conference rooms and stairway reception areas for weddings and other social events. It will also provide much needed office space to both the Marshall University Foundation and the Marshall Alumni Association.

"I think that there was a decision by both the alumni association and the foundation board of directors that both entities needed greater visibility and accessibility to past and future donors," Area said. "The current Marshall University Foundation offices are in the back of Old Main on the third floor and it's pretty hard to find. The current offices of the alumni association are in a building that used to be a funeral home. The visibility of the new building on campus is going to give us the accessibility and visibility that we will need in the future to garnish the type of alumni and major donor support we will need in the future."

A grand opening ceremony for the building is tentatively planned for February 2010 after staff and faculty begin to move their offices into the building. A time capsule commemorating the building's completion will be installed and opened on Homecoming in the year 2059. The alumni lounge will be named in memory of former Marshall football player Nate Ruffin.

"We needed to have a formal home for our alumni and donors as well as staff and students. We wanted one central location to bring all of those current stakeholders into one place. Lance West and Jeff Porter were tremendous movers in getting this project moving," said Tish Littlehales, director of alumni relations. "Whether you're a current student, a former student, an alumni or friend of the university, the new building is going to be where you can gather. Meetings, conferences, reunions and game-watching parties will all be held there. We will be able to fit so many people's needs."