ROCHESTER, Minn. – Research at Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus will soon be expanding.

A $32 million gift will help with the construction of a four-story, 64,000-square-foot research building. It will be built right behind Mayo’s Opus Building, which is on the corner of 4th Street and 4th Avenue Southwest.

The money comes from the New York-based Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation. Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen are now deceased, but received care at Mayo Clinic for decades. The new building will be named after the couple.

Jill Wagner is one of many researchers at Mayo Clinic. She thinks generous gifts like these will help with what they do in labs.

“Fewer funds of Mayo's that have to go into building and facilities and things like that, that can go to supporting personnel to actually do the research,” Wagner said.

The building will be a part of the Discovery Square subdistrict, which is the research, innovation, and development hub of the Destination Medical Center initiative.

Much of the area is still under construction, but it’s a work in progress that will shape the future of the city.

“I think it just has a lot of ramifications for patients, and staff, and researchers, and the community of Rochester,” Wagner said. “There is you know little pieces that are just really going to be helpful for the community here.”

Groundbreaking is expected sometime next year, and they hope to have it done by 2022.