The Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., a two-room facility located in the Ladd Arboretum, will gain a $750,000 addition with construction beginning next month.

The Evanston Environmental Association has raised roughly two-thirds of the amount needed to build the center, and sources close to the project say the nonprofit organization will be able to gather the remaining sum.

The center offers a variety of educational programs about the local environment. The 2,725-square-foot addition will include a 1,800-square-foot classroom, a stone fireplace, a courtyard and an exterior drinking fountain. A new exhibit gallery will teach visitors about the city’s natural history, director Linda Lutz said. The center has seen little change since its construction in 1974.

“Our programming far outstrips our space,” Lutz said. “I’d be hard pressed to see how the casual visitor can come in and learn something.”

If the nonprofit fails to meet the amount, the City of Evanston, which operates the center, has guaranteed a $250,000 line of credit toward the development’s completion.

Bill Stafford, Evanston’s finance director, warned of the precedent the city council was setting by offering assistance to the nonprofit organization.

Rehab Construction Co., which was awarded the work by the city, has 300 days to complete the project. But Lutz said she thinks the addition should be finished by November.

The center offers walks, summer camps and canoe trips on the North Shore Channel to groups ranging in age from preschool children to senior citizens, said Douglas Gaynor, director of Evanston’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation Department.

“Its fundamental purpose is nature education,” Gaynor said.

Most recently, Lutz said local children are learning to use compasses in orienteering courses run by the center.

School groups and families are the most frequent visitors to the center, Lutz said.

City employees working closely with the center said they are excited about the project.

“It’s just a fantastic private and public partnership,” Gaynor said. “It’s a great asset to the city.”

Gaynor said the additional classroom and display space are most important to the center.

Lutz said she hopes the center continues to expand and educate.

“It should be an excellent resource for the community,” Lutz said.