CUNA and the state leagues Tuesday will cut the ribbon on Credit Union House at 403 C St. NE, just blocks from Capitol Hill, establishing a command center for CU visitors meeting with their congressional delegates.
Initially, not all of the state leagues had signed on to invest in Credit Union House, but in recent weeks, the last of the holdouts decided to get in on the act after all, according to CUNA's Mark Wolff.
Final costs for the project have not been released, but at the time it was announced, CUNA projected the cost to be $2.4-million. The 8,300-square-foot Credit Union House sits on a 2,500-square-foot lot.
CUNA is staffing the house with two people in charge of day-to-administration and upkeep of Credit Union House. Kyle Noble, director, and Patricia Flighting, her assistant, will be on hand at Credit Union House as CU visitors from across the country come calling.
And what will they do when no one is visiting? It's not likely to be slow at Credit Union House for long, Wolff noted. "We already have 25 Hike the Hill visits lined up between now and the end of the session," he said. CU House staff will also handle those credit unions interested in investing individually in CU House and will brief CU delegates before and after their visits with members of Congress.
Located on the Senate side of Capitol Hill, Credit Union House boasts a reception area on the top floor with a view of the Capitol building. "When it reaches its full potential, there will be a credit union learning center for members of congress," he added. "This gives credit unions a base of operations and more options when meeting with their members of Congress. They can invite the congressman to come to Credit Union House where it's a little more private, with a larger reception area, and it gets them into a different environment but is still very convenient because of its location."
The building is the brainchild of CUNA CEO and former Florida congressman Dan Mica, who said he was inspired by Florida House, which is located nearby.
