Northwest’s Kellogg School of Management is planning a new $300 million building on its lakefront campus

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management will demolish its James L. Allen Center to make way for a new $300 million building on Evanston’s lakefront.

The building will nearly double the number of classroom spaces and house Kellogg’s Executive MBA programs and non-degree Executive Education programs. It will also serve as the center of the university’s Full Circle campaign, which aims to strengthen Northwestern’s reputation and “reinvent” business education, the university said Wednesday.

The Full Circle campaign aims to raise $600 million for Kellogg, with funds also going toward research and opportunities to connect students with business leaders. A Kellogg spokesman said more than $182.6 million has been raised so far.

The campaign will donate $170 million to the new lakefront building, and half of that amount has already been raised, according to the spokesperson.

Northwestern said the state-of-the-art and technologically enhanced building will feature 22,000 square feet of classroom space and 48 group study rooms. The classrooms enable hybrid teaching and bring together students, alumni, business leaders and elite faculty from around the world.

Additionally, the building’s hotel will feature 160 guest rooms for overnight guests and other visitors, as well as seven dining rooms, an executive club with bar and other amenities for private events.

The unnamed building, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, will stand next to its flagship Kellogg Global Hub. A tunnel will connect the properties, along with a green space and a second entrance at the north end of the building.

Hana Kassem, design director at Kohn Pedersen Fox, said the building’s design was intended to honor the lakefront and expand Kellogg’s footprint.

“Our concept is based on connections to nature that promote well-being by incorporating natural materials and organic textures into interior spaces, combined with state-of-the-art dynamic learning and collaboration environments that further Kellogg’s mission and reach,” said Kassem.

According to a university spokesperson, demolition of the Allen Center will begin in January 2025. Work on the new building will begin in winter 2025.

The school expects to complete and move into the building by fall 2027.