After nearly three years of construction, the University of Miami celebrated the grand opening of the new Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center on its Coral Gables campus on Friday. The 72,000-square-foot building, which houses the university's alumni relations department, can be booked for private events by alumni and non-alums alike.
There are six spaces suited for meetings, cocktail parties, dinners, and other special events for groups of 35 to 500.
The main lobby can house 80 for a cocktail reception and has an expansive wall of glass overlooking the front plaza.
At the center of the U-shaped building is the Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. “the Rock”) Living Room, with 20-foot ceilings and a 420-square-foot mural of University of Miami imagery. The room can host 135 and also has views of the Arellano Construction Courtyard, which can seat 80 or accommodate 150 for receptions.
The 7,273-square-foot multipurpose room is the largest event space, seating 300 or hosting as many as 500 people for a reception. The space has 20-foot ceilings and views of the courtyard and gardens, and is equipped with audiovisual capabilities.
For smaller gatherings, the Bruce and Robbi Toll Library can host 60. The room is decorated with a stone fireplace and green and brown club chairs, and the walls are lined with a variety of glass-encased books, including archived copies of university yearbooks. Additionally, meetings for 35 can be held in the executive conference room, which is equipped with videoconferencing technology.
