See photos of Marquette’s new business school

The new home of Marquette University’s business and innovation leadership programs, the Dr. E.J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall opened its doors to students last week.

“We told prospective students and their families they would have seven or eight semesters in the most state-of-the-art space probably in the country for a business school,” said Tim Hanley, Keyes Dean of the College of Business Administration. “Last year alone, our enrollment in the college went up 40%, so we’re excited about the future.”

The new building features up to 17 classroom spaces across four levels. In addition, there are 12 meeting rooms throughout the building reserved for student and faculty use, including a soundproof recording studio and one modeled after a modern-day corporate board room.

Marquette worked with Kansas City-based BNIM, Milwaukee-based Workshop Architects and Milwaukee-based GRAEF to design the building. J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. was the lead contractor on the project.

“From a design perspective, the opportunity to create a better urban design for our campus on this really important corner was critical,” said Lora Strigens, vice president for planning and facilities management for Marquette. “This was a really great team effort.”

The completion of the $60 million, 109,000 square-foot facility marks the largest fully donor-funded construction project in university history. More than 250 donors, including 60 who gave more than $100,000 and 14 who gave $1 million or more, contributed to the two-year fundraising campaign. The building’s name was selected by an anonymous donor who gave the university $24 million for the project.