A week from today, Albert Lea residents will have the chance to view the new Vitality Center before it is installed on the first floor of the historic Jacobson Apartments building in downtown Albert Lea.

During an open house from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 12, people can see what demolition work has already taken place in the space and look at a list of the specific items and services that will be needed to open the center by the first of the year.

Sketches and plans developed by historic restoration architect Pat Waddick will be available for review, and donated refreshments will be served.

Waddick will be on site to discuss the plans, and other project leaders will be able to explain what will take place at the Vitality Center, 211 S. Broadway Ave.

A special “Partners in Vitality” announcement will be made near the 6 p.m. hour.

Community Development Director Bob Graham said the center will be a space for the facilitation of new and ongoing vitality initiatives both on the local and national level.

It will also be a place where Blue Zones leaders can showcase Albert Lea as a living laboratory of vitality in the training of other communities and corporations.

Blue Zones information and merchandise will also be available at the center.

Graham said Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner will continue to work with local vitality team members for the Vitality Center and in getting people to come to Albert Lea to view it.

Plans for the Vitality Center were officially announced Oct. 13 at the celebration of the conclusion of the pilot Vitality Project.

The Albert Lea City Council approved the space for the center at its meeting Oct. 26, and demolition on the interior of the space began shortly after.

The project got a kick-start from two $10,000 donations, one from AARP and another from United Health Foundation.

“It’s very exciting,” Graham said. “And it’s certainly going to be a model for what people can do in downtown buildings for a fairly reasonable cost.”

Three weeks after the conclusion of the Vitality Project, local leaders are continuing to receive inquiries about the project from across the country, Graham said. He’s received a number of requests to make presentations, including at a national conference and a couple of state conferences. He’s also made a presentation on the Twin Cities public television show “Almanac.”

These requests come in addition to the national media coverage received on the project, including in USA Today, “Good Morning America” and “Nightline” in recent weeks.