Eastern Michigan University is planning to relocate its College of Business to central campus, a move that will enhance learning opportunities for students, facilitate faculty collaboration and increase investment in the continued revival of downtown Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The move includes selling the Gary Owen Building, present home of Eastern’s College of Business. The authorization to pursue the sale to River Caddis Development for $2.7 million was approved by the Board of Regents at its regular meeting Thursday, April 23.

Boone Hall will be the new location for the College of Business’s primary operations. The building will undergo significant renovation, tentatively beginning in April 2021.

The University has not set a completion date for the transformation of Boone Hall. Given the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of construction activities due to COVID-19 government directives, it is difficult at this time to provide a precise completion date. The University is targeting a project timeline of 28 to 36 months after the COB moves out of the Owen Building.

Construction began on the Gary Owen Building in 1988 and it was dedicated in 1991. It is named after Gary M. Owen, former Michigan Speaker of the House. Students access the building by walking, by taking a shuttle bus from the main campus, or they can drive and park at the adjacent parking structure.