Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Oregon State to Add Arts and Education Complex

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 02/04/21

Oregon State University in Corvallis will be getting a new Arts and Education facility. The university's board of trustees recently approved construction of the $70 million complex, which will host performing arts classes, programs and performances on the campus in a 500-seat concert hall.

The 49,000-square-foot complex will include classrooms, offices, performance theaters and rehearsal rooms. It's expected to open during the 2022-2023 academic year. Discussions for the new building started in 2017; at that time, the cost was set at $60 million.

Oregon State to Add Arts and Education Complex

“This nationally best-in-class arts and education complex will be a transformative addition to Oregon State University, the Willamette Valley and all of Oregon,” said university President, F. King Alexander, in a statement. “The complex will serve as a center of creativity and will fuse programs in music, theater, visual and digital arts and technology."

Funding for the complex came from a $25 million anonymous gift, $10 million in other donations and $35 million in state bonds.

The board also approved renovations to two buildings: $16.35 million for Fairbanks Hall, the second oldest building on the Corvallis campus, whose 26,000-square-foot wood structure includes classrooms, offices and gallery space serving the College of Liberal Arts; and $6 million for Graf Hall, where the College of Engineering’s robotics program is situated.

The institution said the Fairbanks Hall work was intended to improve teaching, learning and gallery spaces and update seismic, access and HVAC systems to meet current code requirements. The Graf Hall renovation will expand the facilities for the Collaborative Robotics and Intelligent Systems Institute and upgrade bathrooms, as well as plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.