Alumni Center Tour
"Building our Future, Honoring our Past"
The Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center will be a campus
destination, a welcome gate for the entire university and its
guests, a gathering place for alumni leaders, and become a
place for meeting old friends, for remembering and
reconnecting. Think of it as part nostalgic place, part meeting
place, and part emotional retreat space where alumni can
relax or reminisce. It's a place you can call home when you
visit Old Dominion University.
The Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center is a place where
returning alumni will be greeted and given personal attention
and assistance if requested. The building's interior
atmosphere will evoke a warm, friendly feeling that we want
to be characteristic of our campus. Moreover, our Alumni
Center will help tie us back into Old Dominion University by
enhancing our interest and involvement. It will entice students
to become active, committed alumni, appropriately welcome
visitors to campus, and send the message to alumni: "You
are always welcome and connected here."
History
In 1963, Old Dominion College's School of Education relocated to a building situated at the corner of 49th Street and Hampton Boulevard, the same spot where today's Alumni Center not sits. That original building was know as "Finks Flats," named for T. Ross Fink, the first dean of the Darden School of Education (now the Darden College of Education). Finks Flats eventually housed the Department of Political Science and then campus security before being destroyed to make way for the existing facility in 1984. The existing building housed the Office of Public Safety from 1984 until the fall of 2003, when they relocated to Monarch Way in the University Village.
When plans to move the Office of Public Safety out of the building developed, university officials saw the newly vacated space as an opportunity to create Old Dominion's first-ever Alumni Center. TyMoff Moss Architects was brought in to redesign the space to meet the needs of the Alumni Association, and a committee of Alumni Association members was developed to work with the university, the architect and the contractor to develop the plans. Renovations to the building began in November 2003 and the Office of Alumni Relations staff officially moved into the building in early March 2004.
Directions and Parking
From Points North
Take I-95 south toward Richmond. Take the left exit #84A onto I-
295 S, following signs for "Norfolk/Virginia Beach."
Remain on I-295 for approximately 12 miles, then exit at #28A (I-
64 E), again following signs to "Norfolk/Virginia Beach." Stay on I-
64 east for approximately 75 miles until you reach exit 276, VA-
406/NAVAL BASE/TERMINAL BLVD. Once on the exit ramp,
stay right as it splits into a "Y." This will put you on I-564. Stay
right on I-564, following the first exit for "Terminal Blvd." At the
third traffic light, turn left onto Hampton Boulevard. Follow
Hampton Boulevard for approximately 3 miles until you reach 49th
Street. Turn right onto 49th Street. Make your first right into
Parking Lot 8. Once you enter the parking lot, the Barry M.
Kornblau Alumni Center will be on your right.
From Points South
Take I-85 north OR I-95 north to Route 58 east. (I-85 exit to 58 is
in South Hill, Virginia. I-95 exit to 58 is in. Follow Route 58 east
to I-264 east towards Portsmouth/Norfolk. Go through the
Downtown Tunnel and follow signs to St. Paul's Boulevard. At
the third light, make a left onto Brambleton Avenue. Follow
Brambleton until you see signs for Hampton Blvd./ODU. Bear
right onto Hampton Boulevard. Follow Hampton Boulevard until
you reach 49th Street. Turn left onto 49th Street. Make your first
right into Parking Lot 8. Once you enter the parking lot, the Barry
M. Kornblau Alumni Center will be on your right.
Parking Details
There are four reserved parking spaces directly in front of the
Kornblau Alumni Center (in parking lot 8, off of 49th Street) that
may be used by alumni visiting the facility. Additionally, there are
several metered spots in the same lot that can be used when
visiting. No parking passes are needed when using any of these
spots.
To park elsewhere on campus, you will need an Old Dominion
University visitor parking pass. To obtain such a pass, visit the
Office of Parking Services, located in the first floor of the parking
garage at the corner of 43rd Street and Elkhorn Avenue. Visitor
parking passes will allow you to park in any available spot on
campus with the exception of metered spots (payment required),
reserved or handicap places. Visitor parking passes are issued
free of charge. Faculty, staff and students are not eligible to
obtain a visitor parking pass.
Quick Facts
Official Name
Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center
Contact Information
Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529
Phone: 757.683.3097
Toll-Free: 888.ODU.3435
Fax: 757.683.6293
Size and Features
Total square footage of the Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center is
4,000 feet. Features include a 1,000-square-foot social area -
complete with hardwood floor, fireplace, bookshelves and display
cases - which can be turned into a multipurpose room; a tea room
that opens onto a garden area and brick patio; conference room and
a suite of offices for the alumni relations staff.
Building Namesake
Barry M. Kornblau, a 1971
political science graduate, who
made a gift of $170,000 to the
University for the renovations of
the facility. Read more about
Barry Kornblau.
Architect and Contractor
The renovations to the building were designed by Tymoff & Moss Architects.
Date Opened
The Office of Alumni Relations moved into the Barry M. Kornblau
Alumni Center on March 4, 2004. Opening ceremonies for the
building were held on May 21, 2004.
About Barry Kornblau
When longtime Old Dominion supporter Barry M. Kornblau learned of the Alumni Association's plans to help create the university's first-ever alumni center, he knew it was his opportunity to make a difference. He wanted to help give ODU's more than 90,000 alumni a comfortable place to call home on campus.
So the 1971 political science graduate made a significant contribution to his alma mater to help transform the former Public Safety Building into an alumni center. In recognition of his gift, the Alumni Association has recommended to the university's Board of Visitors that the building to named the Barry M. Kornblau Alumni Center.
An active supporter of ODU athletics, Kornblau is a member of the Educational Foundation board and a past member of the Alumni Association board of directors, Board of Visitors and Intercollegiate Foundation board.