The dedication of the Longaberger Alumni House was held Friday afternoon at the site of the building which is located along the Olentangy River near Lane Avenue.A crowd of nearly 150 was on hand to witness what President William “Brit” Kirwan called a momentous and joyous occasion that captured the essence of the OSU family.”The Longaberger Alumni House is a proper home for the nation’s best alumni association,” Kirwan said.Dan Heinlen, president and CEO of the Alumni Association and master of ceremonies for the dedication, said it has been 15 years since the idea of building a separate space for the alumni association was proposed. The Alumni Association moved into the three-story building last week at 2200 Olentangy River Road. Previously, it operated out of the Fawcett Center. The new space also will house other campus groups, such as the Board of Trustees, and the Student-Alumni Association. Mike Colley, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said the Longaberger Alumni House will help to foster a secure relationship between the Alumni Association and the Board of Trustees.”The Longaberger Alumni House is a unique building for a public university because it was built without using public or university funds,” Colley added. More than 8,000 alumni donated money for the project, as did several companies, such as Columbia Gas and the Davis Foundation, Kirwan said. Also, $200,000 was donated by faculty, staff and students.The Alumni House, which bears the Longaberger name in honor of the late David Longaberger, is the first gift to OSU from the Longaberger Foundation, said Rachel Longaberger, president of the foundation and daughter of David Longaberger.Wandel and Schnell Architects designed the facility with the intention of having plenty of natural light throughout the building, said Robert Wandel, Principal, Wandel and Schnell Architects. Undergraduate Student Government President Josh Mandel also spoke at the dedication about the importance of alumni to the university. “I have learned the greatest lesson from OSU, to lead by example and to give back to the community,” Mandel said.The dedication ended with the alumni band playing “Carmen Ohio,” as the men’s alumni glee club lead the crowd in the singing. To welcome the alumni home, the Muskingum County Alumni Club raised a flag, the Longaberger Alumni House sign was unveiled and the ribbon was cut.”The Longaberger Alumni House will serve as a gift from the alumni to the entire university community, and a tribute to the late David Longaberger,” Kirwan said.In addition to alumni, students, faculty and staff will be able to use the facilities at the Longaberger Alumni House.