It is starting to emerge. We can now see the new Swope School of Music and Performing Arts Center taking shape behind the E.O. Bull Center. Loretta MacAlpine, Director of Public Relations and Marketing on campus said, “Considering the weather, we are pretty much on track” about the construction of the building.The Commonwealth?s Department of General Services has delegated construction responsibility to the university, which will mean that WCU will have a greater control over the whole construction process.
The Performing Arts Center, with a floor plan designed to resemble a grand piano, is going to put West Chester University second only to the Philadelphia Avenue of the Arts as having the largest number of venues.
Included in this project is a sculpture garden that will be placed near the E.O. Bull Center that will feature works donated by patrons and artists. Also a courtyard will be constructed for reflection, outdoor performances, and receptions.
The total cost of the project is going to be over $25 million.
With $17 million being investedthanks to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, $3 million is paid by the university itself, and the
remaining $7 million is being paid by donors, gifts, and pledges.
According MacAlpine, the university has already accumulated over $4 million from donors and gifts, which is 60 percent of their $7 million goal.
The new building will become the new home for the music department that now resides in Swope Hall, leaving the old building to be renamed and reoccupied.
Dr. Timothy Blair, the Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said, “we plan on completion during the summer of 2006 and all the students, faculty, and staff in the College of Visual and Performing Arts are looking forward to it.”
The new building is going to cover 80,000 square feet and include classrooms, faculty offices, and state of the art music labs, along with a 375-seat performance hall, 125-seat recital hall, and an art gallery. It is also going to make the university the cultural center of Chester County.
The building is going to have three floors and is described by MacAlpine as having a “very lyrical layout.” Other interesting facts about the building are that it will use over 1,000 tons of steel, over 5,000 cubic yards of concrete, and have over 300 doors.
Once built the building will have road access from Matlack
Street, High Street, and from the new East Campus Drive. According to the construction details there was a great need for a new performing arts facility.
The School of Music produces an average of 100 performances per year, the Theater Department attracts over 10,000 people per year to their productions, and performers that come to campus from the Office of Cultural and Community Affairs draw nearly 50,000 people annually.
The construction details also include several goals in which they want the new building to meet. These include increasing the university?s capacity to serve a growing number of students in music, theater, dance, and art, as well as improve the quality of the arts and music instruction.