GW announced that the new Colonial Health Center will open Jan. 5.

The center will bring Student Health Service, the University Counseling Center and the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Education under one roof. The University also announced that the GW Parenting Initiative, which researches breastfeeding and parenting education, will have a space at the new location.

The move to the space that once held the Marvin Center bookstore has been in the works since November 2013. University President Steven Knapp announced at the time that he supported then-Student Association President Julia Susuni’s push for GW’s health and counseling centers to move from their K Street locations to the heart of campus.

As the waitlist for counseling has grown over the years, administrators and student leaders have lauded the new location for its larger space. The new center will have features like opaque glass and separate waiting rooms to ensure privacy for patients.

The center will be closed from Dec. 22 to Jan. 2, and services at the former locations will end according to their regular semester schedules.