ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Construction is now underway at Monroe Community College's new Downtown Campus. A press conference was held Tuesday morning at the State Street site announcing the beginning of construction.
The project has been in the works for nearly 15 years and one many believe would never happen. It's now becoming a reality as Phase II construction is about to begin. With no dirt to shovel, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and MCC president Anne Kress held a ceremonial troweling as they put Spackle on a piece of drywall.
Building 16 at Eastman Kodak headquarters will be the new home of MCC's Damon Downtown Campus. It will occupy about 255,000 square feet of former office space on State St. It will provide a collaborative learning environment designed to grow and respond to the ever-changing needs of students and the community.
"Having MCC in downtown Rochester, very close to many of the neighborhoods that really need to access higher education, is an incredible opportunity for all of the city, but also for all of our region. It also prodvides us with new spaces to develop new programs so we're really excited to see what the future will bring," said Kress.
The bulk of renovations inside Building 16 will begin in earnest next month. The project is expected to be completed by the 2017-2018 school year.