The McClelland Park building will be the new home of the UA's John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. It will be on the southeast corner of North Park Avenue and East Fourth Street, replacing the soon-to-be-demolished Franklin Building.

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MYSTERY SHOPPERS

When John Norton and Norm McClelland met as University of Arizona students in the 1940s, the pair never could have guessed they would each become an agricultural giant in the state.

The lifelong friends came together again Tuesday to join groundbreaking ceremonies for the McClelland Park building, which will be the new home of the John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Both generous supporters of their alma mater, Norton and McClelland said they're thrilled to both be connected to the newest expansion of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Part of the McClelland gift comes from the estate of his late sister, Frances.

"What could be better?" said McClelland, whose father immigrated during Arizona's last days as a territory in 1912.

"What he really appreciated about the College of Agriculture was the help he could get from the professors here with the extension service," said McClelland, chairman of Shamrock Foods Co. "We wanted to do something for the college to pay back."

McClelland said family and agriculture have always been intertwined in his own life and praised the school for its hands-on experience and cutting-edge research aimed at strengthening families, communities and the marketplace.

Enrollment at the school is surging, with triple the number of retailing students in the past decade, and the current facility is cramped and behind the curve technologically, said Soyeon Shim, the school's director.

Norton, deputy secretary of agriculture under President Ronald Reagan, said Shim, who he calls "The Rocket," is energetic, thorough and has given the school great leadership.

"We were attracted to the school of family and consumer sciences by the quality of student learning and the work they do," Norton said. "The school has a lot of potential and it has a lot to offer young people."

The building will consolidate the school's two academic units, Family Studies and Human Development, and Retailing and Consumer Sciences; and three auxiliary units, the Institute for Children, Youth and Families, the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing and the Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research.

Provost George Davis said the building's name is unusual, with the word Park bringing positive connotations to the facility and the school.

"It makes us think of openness, public accessibility, community and family. It makes us think about refreshment and restoration — restoration of the spirit and restoration physically," he said. "This name, McClelland Park, is a name that is not only full of recreation, it's full of integrity."

The 70,000-square-foot building will have classrooms on the ground floor and faculty offices and conference rooms on the second, third and fourth floors. The signature feature will be the Lakin Family Plaza, a covered outdoor atrium space, where students can meet, study and relax, Shim said.

The facility will be at North Park Avenue and East Fourth Street, on the current site of the Franklin Building, which will be demolished starting Mon-day. Construction will start in November and take about 16 months. The building, which is funded entirely through private donations, will cost about $16.5 million, while the entire project, including the Franklin demolition, will cost about $22 million.

Smithgroup Inc. of Phoenix is the architect and Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Tucson is the contractor.