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July 9, 1999
Purdue trustees approve planning for new arts center
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Purdue Board of Trustees today (Friday, 7/9) authorized
planning for a new home for the university's Department of Visual and Performing
Arts.
The board also approved five other construction projects, including a new aquatics
center and improvements to the Wade Power Plant.
The $20.75 million arts building, which was funded as part of the state budget approved
last spring, will include new academic, exhibit and administrative space. The facility,
to be built at Marsteller and Wood streets, will house programs in art and design, theater, music and dance. Construction should begin next summer, and the work should
be completed in two years, said Kenneth Burns, Purdue's executive vice president
and treasurer. The new facility will replace the five Creative Arts Buildings near
the intersection of Stadium and Northwestern avenues, which were built as "temporary"
structures in the late 1940s.
The building will be the first phase of a new Visual and Performing Arts Center on
the south campus. The entire complex will include a 2,200-seat performance hall,
atrium, rehearsal rooms and an expanded John Purdue Room, a formal dining facility
operated by students in Purdue's Department of Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism
Management. The $75 million needed to complete the project will be raised through
private contributions.
Purdue President Steven C. Beering said the proposed arts center will enrich the educational
opportunities for all Purdue students. "The vision for a new arts center is rooted
in the notion that arts are not confined to students who pursue art performance or education as a career. Rather, all students -- indeed all who come into contact
with the university -- are enhanced through exposure to and understanding of the fine
arts," he said.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts serves more than 500 undergraduate majors
and 60 graduate students, and it supports several thousand students enrolled in applied,
theoretical or historical art courses each year.
In other action, the trustees:
Awarded a contract for $15.2 million for a new competition swimming and diving pool
as part of the Aquatics Center project on the West Lafayette campus. Kettelhut Construction
Inc. of Lafayette submitted the low bid. The total cost of the project is $17.1 million, to be paid for entirely with gift funds.
Awarded a $9 million contract to Castle Construction Corp. of Markham, Ill., for
reconstruction of the Anderson Building on the Calumet campus.
Authorized planning for phase two of a project to expand and renovate the Wade Power
Plant and its electrical distribution on the West Lafayette campus. The state legislature
last spring approved $18.55 million for several projects, including replacing a chiller and extending the life of a boiler for another 20 years. Electrical distribution
to various campus buildings will also be upgraded.
Authorized a project to upgrade 140 guest rooms at the Purdue Memorial Union Club
Hotel. The $9.5 million estimated cost will be paid out of hotel operating revenues.
Authorized improvements to the Recreational Gymnasium. A $5 million bond issue will
fund the project, which will include renovating the basement for a training and fitness
room, adding an elevator for accessibility, and upgrading the men's locker room.
Approved plans to complete the third floor of the Technology Building at Purdue North
Central. The $3.55 million state-funded project will finish the building, providing
space for the nursing program, the English department and two academic classrooms.
In addition, ground floor student-activity space in the Library Student-Faculty Building
will be renovated.
Source: Kenneth Burns, (765) 494-9705
Writer: Beth Forbes (765) 494-9723; beth_forbes@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Photo Caption:
Purdue's trustees have approved planning for a new visual and performing arts center.
The portion of the building to the left of the atrium will be built with state funds
to house the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. The remainder of the project,
which includes the atrium, a performance hall and galleries, will be financed from
private donations. Construction will begin next summer. (Architectural drawing by
Hammel Green & Abrahamson Inc.)
Color photo, electronic transmission, and Web and ftp download available. Photo ID:
Visual.performing
Download Photo Here
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