BAC/IMI National Training Center Groundbreaking

From left, BAC Executive Vice President Gerald O’Malley, architect Stanley Tigerman, Secretary-Treasurer James Boland, IMI Management Co-Chair Fred Kinateder, Local 3 MA President and BAC Region 1 Director Chuck Raso, IMI President Joan Calambokidis, BAC President and IMI Labor Co-Chair John J. Flynn, construction manager J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc. President Ron Knowles, IMI Board member Dan Schiffer, and BAC Executive Vice Presidents Ken Lambert and Gerard Scarano.

A new chapter in BAC’s training history is being written, as the vision of a state-of-the-art training center moves closer to reality. At groundbreaking ceremonies in July for the BAC/IMI National Training Center in Bowie, Maryland, President John J. Flynn said, “We will literally build the future of the Union right here.”

The new training center will offer all levels of training in all masonry crafts for BAC members, and will be the permanent home of Masonry Camp, the collaborative program for BAC apprentices and young architects. IMI President Joan Calambokidis noted the new campus will also provide “the perfect setting” for masonry product evaluation and testing, which helps gain new markets and work opportunities for BAC members.

The 15-acre site is located halfway between BAC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and IMI headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland. Construction on the $20 million project will start shortly, with estimated completion
in Fall 2006.

The two-building complex, designed by Stanley Tigerman, FAIA, of Tigerman-McCurry Architects in Chicago, will be constructed of high quality masonry materials. The 60,500-square-foot, two-story open bay training center will include offices, classrooms, and design studios. The 45,500-square-foot, three-story main building will have offices, recreation facilities, a cafeteria, meeting rooms, and dormitory rooms for 108 students.

In its new home, IMI will be able to offer even more specialized training in all the masonry crafts – brick and block, tile, terrazzo, stone, marble, plaster, cement, and restoration.