“Somewhere a place for us.”
From the closure of Old Chapel in 1997 to the opening of the George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building in 2011, generations of alumni and friends worked tirelessly to create a permanent home for the UMMB.
Although George Parks did not live to see the building completed, he participated in its topping ceremony, signing one of the final structural beams. Inspired by his vision, alumni and supporters contributed more than $1.3 million through thousands of small-dollar gifts to help make the project a reality.
That extraordinary effort remains the most successful small-donor capital fundraising campaign in UMass Amherst history.
First LEED-certified building at UMass Amherst
The new George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). It is the first building to be LEED certified on the UMass Amherst campus.
Video Tour