Farewell event planned for MMI’s former home

On April 4, the med center community is invited to say goodbye to the former home of the Munroe-Meyer Institute building, which will be razed later this spring.

Construction crews are preparing for the demolition of the old Hattie B. Munroe and C.L. Meyer buildings, which made up the MMI complex, as well as the former J.P. Lord School, which was attached to the MMI structure.

Already, MMI’s recognizable yellow awning has been removed. Trees have been removed to allow installation of construction fencing, which will begin April 5. Soon thereafter, the sidewalk that runs from the corner of Saddle Creek Road and Farnam Street through the MMI property will permanently close.   

Before that begins, the med center community will gather April 4 at 3 p.m. on the west side of the site — where the institute’s iconic yellow awning once stood — to say goodbye to the facilities that, for years, served the clinical, occupational and research needs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2021, MMI moved into its new home at 6902 Pine St., near the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Scott Campus.

During the farewell event, remarks will be made by UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, MMI Director Karoly Mirnics, MD, PhD, and several others. Limited parking will be available in Lot 31 (west of the Hattie B. Munroe Pavilion). The event will be streamed live on MMI’s Facebook page

Once razed, the site may provide space, in part, for the future home of Project NExT, a public-private partnership that creates a federal, all-hazard health security disease response space.