Add as a preferred source on Google

St. Mary’s College Opens New Performing Arts Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/29/22

St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, Maryland, recently debuted its new performing arts center to the public. The college held a daylong celebration on Saturday, Sept. 24, in honor of the new Nancy R. and Norton T. Dodge Performing Arts Center. The new facility will house the campus’ music department and includes amenities like music labs, rehearsal rooms and a recital hall with a capacity of 125, according to local news.

Other features include a 700-seat auditorium for concerts and other large gatherings, as well as a lobby area featuring floor-to-ceiling, curved glass windows for receptions. The facility is named after Norton Dodge, who served as an economics professor at the college from 1980–89, a member of the board of trustees from 1968–1979, and a director of the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Foundation from 1980–2000, according to local news. Dodge passed away in 2011.

“The impact of the performing arts center on the college cannot be overstated,” said St. Mary’s College of Maryland President Tuajuanda Jordan.

The college also opened a new Learning Commons adjacent to the performing arts center. The Commons will play home to the college’s department of educational studies, as well as a café and student study space. The combined cost of the two buildings was $66 million, which was funded through the state of Maryland and $2.5 million in private donations.

According to the college’s website, the college partnered with design firms Graham Gund Architects of Boston and GWWO Architects of Baltimore, and Holder Construction Company served as the Construction Manager at Risk. Construction began in late January 2020.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Illinois District Boosts Security at High-School Stadium

    Richmond-Burton Community High School in Richmond, Ill., recently announced that it has completed the redesigned entrance to its high school stadium with a new focus on school security and community engagement, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects and Engineers on the project as part of District #157’s year-long facilities master plan.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • California K–12 District Opens New Athletic Complex, Gym

    The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) in San Mateo, Calif., recently announced the completion of two new athletics facilities: a new gymnasium at Burlingame High School, and a new athletic training complex at San Mateo High School, according to a news release.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

Digital Edition