[Dean
Toni-Marie Montgomery, Bienen School of Music, Northwestern
University]
Northwestern
University’s Bienen School of Music to break ground for new
building
Music
Building construction to begin in May
Construction
of a building on the lakefront of Northwestern University’s
Evanston campus that will be the new home of the Bienen School of
Music and provide additional space for the School of Communication
will begin this spring, University officials announced January 20,
2012. Designed to be a signature building for the University, the
new facility will enable the Bienen School to consolidate all of its
programs in one campus location for the first time in more than 35
years.
The
new building will be located just south of the school’s
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall and connected to the Regenstein Hall of
Music on the southern end of Northwestern’s lakefront campus. The
five-story structure will be directly east of the Theatre and
Interpretation Center with spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the
Chicago skyline.
With
approximately 150,000 gross square feet,
the new building will include classrooms, teaching labs, academic
faculty offices, teaching studios for choral, jazz, opera, piano and
voice faculty, practice rooms, student lounges and administrative
offices. There also will be a choral rehearsal/recital room, choral
and orchestra libraries, an opera rehearsal/black box theater and a
400-seat recital hall.
Estimated
cost for the new facility and an adjacent arts green is $117 million.
Construction is expected to begin in May and take approximately three
years to complete with move-in expected in fall 2015. Architect for
the building is Goettsch Partners, Inc. of Chicago.
School
of Music Dean Toni-Marie Montgomery said, “I express my
appreciation to President Emeritus Henry Bienen for giving the
initial approval for the building, President Morton Schapiro for
embracing this project and providing the support to make this a
reality, and Provost Daniel Linzer and the trustees and other donors
who have contributed financially to the project.
“The
building symbolizes many things -- the excellence of the Bienen
School of Music and its students, faculty and alumni, and the
university’s significant investment in the arts. I am thrilled that
construction will begin this spring and I look forward to moving into
the Bienen School’s new home.” Dr. Montgomery is the first
African American dean and the first female dean of the prestigious
Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University,
Evanston, Illinois.
In
addition, the fifth floor of the new building will provide a new
south campus home for the School of Communication administration,
including the dean’s office and additional offices for faculty
members. Space in the new building will enable the School to bring
together on one floor the faculty in the Department of Theater and in
the Department of Performance Studies, and to have them in the same
building with colleagues in the School of Music, thereby creating
more opportunities for collaboration in the performing arts.
“We’re
looking forward to joining the Bienen School in this wonderful new
building,” said Barbara O’Keefe, dean of the School of
Communication. “This also will enable us to create additional
classroom, laboratory and performance spaces in the school’s other
buildings.”
The
project also will include a new Music and Arts
Green to the west of the building that will provide a 120-foot wide
pedestrian-friendly green space. This dramatic new gateway to the new
building and the fine arts area will provide a major open space
amenity that can become a focal point for special events and passive
recreation. The green space will improve pedestrian safety and
circulation significantly while still allowing vehicular access to
the current buildings. The outstanding views of the lake and Chicago
from that area will be enhanced.
No comments:
Post a Comment