This week The Fine Arts Center remodel progresses into the design phase after collecting student and faculty opinions on what they think should go into the project. Sparano + Mooney Architecture, a firm based in Salt Lake City, is the main architectural firm working on the design.
“They’re great,” said Nicholas Morrison, the senior associate dean of the Caine College of the Arts. “We've really enjoyed working with them.”
The SLC firm hosted forums for the students and faculty in March to determine what they wanted to go into the new addition as well as the renovation.
“We were really pleased with the turnout,” Morrison said. “I’m just thrilled by the number of students and colleagues that participated in the discussion. It was really gratifying to see that much interest.”
Areas of concern for the students included specialized spaces.
“The students were very interested in having instructional teaching spaces. Particularly rooms suitable for having small interactive rehearsal spaces,” Morrison said. “Other things that students brought up include practice rooms and storage spaces for instruments.”
Craig Jessop, the dean of the CCA, said the Fine Arts Center has been overloaded for some time.
“The Fine Arts Center was opened in 1967,” he said. “At that time there were approximately seven members of the music faculty and about 125 majors. There are now 29 music faculty members and 450 majors but no space has been added to the building.”
Because of the growth, spaces have been thrown together.
“We've had to cannibalize practice rooms. We've had to take large expensive hallways, cut them down and add makeshift offices,” Jessop said. “We’re bursting at the seams.”
Jessop said the purpose of the building is to give students the best experience possible.
“Our motto for the college is excellence with integrity,” he said. “This is all about creating excellence for the student experience. Empowering them and empowering our faculty.”
Jessop said every dollar spent on the renovation will go toward benefiting students.
“The focus of this project is the students. We want to take every dollar and give students the most benefit that we can,” he said.
Funds for renovations will come from the university and money for the new addition will come from donations given by benefactors, alumni and the community.
“We have some very generous benefactors and donations from individuals,” Morrison said.
Jessop said he is pleased to be a part of the remodel.
“It’s an incredibly historic time for the Caine College of the Arts,” he said. “It’s a great time to be here.”
According to Morrison, The decisions about what will go into the project will be decided over the next couple weeks.
“The decisions haven’t been made of which needs will and will not be addressed,” Morrison said. “It’s a really large project and it’s larger than we have funding for. We know that the extent of need is greater than the funding and that’s going to be the hard part.”
Construction is projected to begin this fall after the design process is completed.