VT Alumnus Turned CRE Pro Offers Record $35M to Fuel Building Replacement

The largest ever gift by a Virginia Tech alumnus will advance a long-awaited project to replace an aging engineering building with what will be the largest building on the university’s Blacksburg campus.

Norris Mitchell ’58 and his wife, Wendy, have committed $35 million to the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. In addition to utilizing his aerospace engineering degree, Mitchell founded MG Apartments and now owns close to 1,000 apartments and townhouses in the mid-Atlantic in addition to the Olde Mill Golf Resort in Laurel Fork, VA.

Mitchell Hall (name pending approval) will be 284,000 square feet and contain classrooms, instructional labs, space for student team projects, research labs, and office spaces for faculty, staff and students. Significant space is also earmarked for student advising and collaborative uses.

Total project costs are projected at $248 million, most of which would come from state funding. The gift from the Mitchells satisfies the university’s obligation to provide funding to the project.