The 230,000-square-foot building stands on the approximate site of old Memorial Stadium, at the corner of Oak and University, across from Williams Arena.

The building includes parallel office blocks clad in copper, while the Memorial Hall is inside a "geode" of colliding granite planes and fissures of glass. The glass bathes the copper- and wood-lined Memorial Hall with natural light during the day. Memorial Hall, with its 85-foot ceilings, is an inspiring place to hold major University receptions. The McNamara Alumni Center also includes numerous other meeting and conference rooms for use by the University community and others.

The Heritage Gallery is a major focus of the new building. Entered by passing through the Memorial Stadium Arch, it is a place for the University to gather and tell its stories of great accomplishments and inspiring people, and to look forward to continued greatness of future generations.

Other public spaces include the Gateway Cafe by D'Amico and Sons, open for breakfast and lunch, and a branch of the University of Minnesota Federal Credit Union.

The building cost about $45 million, of which a portion was raised in private donations. Additional financing and maintenance funds will come from ongoing fundraising and from rents received from the owners as well as the University, which will lease 125,000 square feet. No state tax money, tuition, or student fees will be used. The University of Minnesota has, however, provided the land upon which the McNamara Alumni Center is built.

The McNamara Alumni Center is named for its lead donor--Richard "Pinky" McNamara, a 1956 alumnus, former Gopher football player, and CEO of Activar, Inc.