The four-story, 196,500-sf renovation and expansion project will include 145,000 square feet of new construction to replace Commonwealth Bridge, a classroom facility built in 1952 that connects the two wings of Gilbert Hall, which were finished in 1916 and 1921. Another 37,000 sf in Gilbert Hall will be renovated substantially, and 14,500 sf in the 1980s-era Chiles Business Center will be updated.

The project is being funded with $33.6 million in private-sector gifts thanks to the largest academic building fund-raising campaign in UO history. The largest donation to the project, $14 million, was given by Chuck Lillis, former MediaOne Group chairman, who earned his Ph.D. from the UO business college in 1972.

Altogether, the college will gain 600 classroom seats including a new auditorium when the complex opens for the 2003-04 school year. The current quarters were built to accommodate 942 students and 42 faculty members. In 2001-2002, those same facilities served more than 2,500 students and 130 faculty and staff members.