We're talking about a very different space than Whitney Center," said Lutheran Campus Ministry Pastor  Paul Peterson last week. This space is the new campus ministry building that is currently being worked on at UW-La Crosse.

"I'm excited we're building at our new location because there. [We] will outshine anything we could have done in our own comfortable settings," said Crossroads Pastor Laura Hoglund. The expected time of completion is early spring semester. The campus's zeal for new construction, it seems, has spread.

It is an $850,000 project taking place on the corner of 14th and Vine Street, directly across from Hutchinson Hall and is near a great deal of off-campus housing. The ministries serving UW-L, Lutheran campus ministry and Crossroads campus ministry represent several Protestant denominations and are collaborating on this project. Donors, said Petersen, came mostly from individuals, particularly in the La Crosse community.

The land where the new building will be was traded, was owned by landlord Brian Benson. They traded two separate properties each group formerly owned on the corner of 17th and State Streets. "They wanted to have more foot traffic for their organization, and I thought their properties would be good rental prospects. It was advantageous for both of us," said Benson.

A key feature of this new building, along with student apartments, a large multipurpose room, and a patio, will be a locally-owned, fair-trade coffee shop. No matter what religion.

"This is not a place where people will be preached at,"  said Petersen. "All are welcome, whether they consider themselves religious or not, and regardless of their background, sexual orientation, or economic status. If even one person feels that's not the case, then we've failed." The new building will also be entirely handicap-accessible, to help meet the organizations' common goal of inclusion.

In addition to the coffeehouse, live entertainment is also planned at the new location on Friday and Saturday nights. Any student organization, from an official one to a study group, will also be welcome to use the multipurpose room or meet in the coffee house.

Both organizations also discussed reasons for combining and sharing the new space and moving from their former locations on 17th and State streets. Hoglund said that, ever since Crossroads began its operation in 1964, they have been friends with the Lutheran campus ministry, and Peterson also said that the denominations involved have very similar goals and often even share their clergy. Given this longstanding friendship and commonalities, a shared new building made economic and organizational sense.

It was also important to be able to reach out to students, both said. So if you're walking to class and see a pile of rubble where an ugly brown house once stood, in a few months' time you might be stopping there to have coffee.