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

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.