Works under the project include about 50,000 square feet of new construction as well as about 120,000 square feet of renovation to the existing Fine Arts building. The new space will include a 256-seat Thrust Theatre and a 100-seat Recital Hall. Other new spaces will include band/orchestra and choral rehearsal halls, and a second dance studio.
The existing space at the centre will be renovated to create light, sound and design labs; teaching and rehearsal space for musical theatre; dressing and makeup rooms; and improved classrooms. The project also includes vital sound isolation and acoustic work for instrumental music individual practice rooms and classrooms.
The project, which is scheduled to be completed in December 2014, is funded by a combination of bond proceeds, a $14.2 million legislative appropriation, private donations and other funds. The University and UW Foundation are also working to secure $2 million in private gifts to finance the building.
The remodeled and expanded UW Fine Arts building will be named the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, a tribute to Tom Buchanan, who is retiring this year after eight years as president of the university.
The Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts is the second phase of UW’s investments in the arts. The first was the $33 million, 79,000-square-foot Visual Arts Center that opened in 2012. In total, the university and the state have invested about $70 million in the two projects.
