Virtual hologram comedians and several interactive exhibits are all part of the National Comedy Center that will span throughout three buildings.

The National Comedy Center will consist of a new building, which will be the entrance. The attraction will also use a building owned by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and the east and west wings of the Jamestown Gateway Train Station, 211-217 W. Second St.

“The way it is set-up, the new addition will be built on the front lot on the Second Street side. It will be the entrance to the National Comedy Center,” said Tom Benson, National Comedy Center chairman. “It will be a building that will be attached to the BPU building. It will have a glass front and a video screen.”

After going through the new building, those touring the national attraction based on the celebration of comedy will enter the BPU building, which will be sold to the National Comedy Center once all the funds for the project have been raised and the site plan is approved. Benson said the inside of the two-story building is a wide-open space.

“It is a brick building that has just been a storage area for a long time. Once the stuff in there is out, really it is a two-story building, but there is no second floor,” he said. “When you’re in there, you look up two stories. It’s an empty building. So there will be not a lot of change to the building. It will have its brick walls. It will be an eclectic experience. We’re not changing the nature of the building at all.”

One of the main attractions in the BPU building will be a virtual hologram comedy club. Benson said classic comedians through the years, who are no longer alive or performing, will be shown on a stage, just like in a comedy club, doing their famous routines.

“People will be able to see classic comedy routines from comedians that haven’t been seen in a long time, but through the virtual hologram people will see them like they have been transported through time. It will be like they’re seeing them live. The technology is fantastic.”

From the BPU building, an elevated glass walkway will be constructed to lead tourists into the east wing of the former Lackawanna-Erie Train Station. Benson said there will be many interactive exhibits and attractions that will stretch into the west wing of the train station. The concourse area of the train station will remain as it is and still be open for public use.

“The concourse area will remain public space. It will be used a little bit by the Comedy Center, but always accessible to the public,” he said. “Right now, the concourse area and wings are used for weddings, receptions and parties. It is the intention of the National Comedy Center to not stop this. We think the building of the Comedy Center around the concourse and the park outback will make it more attractive and more useable. We will certainly continue the program of renting out the concourse and renting out the entire facility when acceptable. We fully intend to develop those opportunities in conjunction with access to the (Comedy Center) park. I think that makes the package really attractive. Of course, during construction we will have to manage around that, but the long-term plan is to make it available to the public and available for rental like it is today.”

Benson said there won’t be any major reconstruction to the train station’s wings for the National Comedy Center.

“It will retain the look and feel of what the train station is,” he said. “It will retain the old-fashion feel to it with new technology. A mix of old and new.”

Benson said just like with the purchase of the BPU building, National Comedy Center officials have a lease ready once the funding is raised for the project and city officials approve the site plan. Last month, the National Comedy Center received $1.5 million from the state for the project. National Comedy Center officials were hoping to receive $3 million from the state, so some fundraising is still needed before construction can start.

“With the state grant, the state has anointed this as a key project to its long-term economic development and tourism strategy,” Benson said. “Having that makes the project an honest-to-goodness project in the public’s eye instead of us just being local people trying to do this. Now we have the power of the state tourism industry. They’re partners with us now.”

Benson said the $1.5 million from the state has raised the awareness and credibility of the project in the comedy industry. He said the state grant will help leverage the rest of the funds necessary.

“When we lead-off a discussion by saying we are officially partners with New York state, it gets us to a different level of attention with funders and partners,” he said.

Benson said the goal now is to raise the necessary funds for the National Comedy Center by the time Jerry Seinfeld is scheduled to perform during the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival on Saturday, Aug. 1. Tickets for Seinfeld’s performance will go on sale to Lucy Desi Museum & Center for Comedy members Monday, Feb. 2, and publicly Monday, Feb. 9. Tickets can be purchased at that time by visiting www.lucycomedyfest.com or by calling 484-0800.

“The goal is to do a ground breaking ceremony for the Comedy Center when Jerry Seinfeld is here,” he said. “We are shooting to have it opened by the following festival in August 2016. This is a time frame that is tight. We want to keep the momentum going the best we can. Unless we hit a major stumbling block, this is what we are going to do.”