Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Iowa High School Breaks Ground on New Music Wing

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/14/22

Keokuk High School in Keokuk, Iowa, recently began construction on a new wing to provide additional space to the fine arts department. The 8,000-square-foot addition will be built onto the school’s science building and feature two ensemble rooms, spaces for band and choir, administrative space, an auxiliary room and storage. The project comes with an estimated $4-million price tag and is expected to be complete by November.

“Everything our fine arts department needs will be in that wing,” said Principal Adam Magliari. He said the expansion has been on the school’s radar for years and will greatly benefit the 75 students who participate in the school’s choir and band. “Our students are thrilled. It’s been over 30 years since they had a new practice facility. Most people don’t know it, but our show choir is in our cafeteria. That affects every student in your building.”

Funding for the project is coming from the SAVE Fund, which provides state sales tax revenue for improvements to school infrastructure.

“We have a long-lasting tradition of fine arts and competing across the state. Many, many trophies and many awards have come out of our program here, and so it’s been a long time coming to have that area where they can practice,” Magliari said.

The district is partnering with construction manager Carl A. Nelson & Company.

“This year, we are building this new performance center outside the science wing for our music programs,” said Student Council President Abigale Wolter at the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, March 9. “I know that limited space has been a recurring issue for these [music] programs, and this new addition will solve all those problems. It will also help programs like Little Feathers and Color Guard; it will give them a place to practice when the gym is being used for other activities.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.