It’s far more than a wealthy philanthropist lady’s sitting rooms, but the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center which recently opened at Gonzaga University, does have such quarters. Dedicated to the Washington philanthropist, whose generosity made the arts center possible, an exhibit at the recently opened center includes recreated sitting rooms from Myrtle Woldson’s house, replete with furniture.
But it’s really a side-note to the many features of the 52,000-sf arts center, which recently celebrated its grand opening. The building is both functional and necessary to fulfill the needs of faculty and staff of the university. It includes a 750-seat theater and was designed by Pfeiffer. The building was named for businesswoman and Spokane resident Myrtle Woldson.
See Also: ASU Health Futures Center combines a novel design and approach to learning
As is the case sometimes these days with newly built structures on university campuses, the new arts center is intended not just to meet the growing needs of the music, dance and theater departments and the rest of the campus community, but as a spot for collaboration across disciplines. It also is meant as a foundation block of a planned Arts Village, which will include the Jundt Art Center and Museum.
The newly completed building is accessible through a central lobby that could be called dramatic, given the views of Lake Arthur available from it. The structure has two primary performance spaces: the Fr. Bernard j. Coughlin, S.J. Theater, a 750-seat multipurpose theater with adjustable acoustics; and the Martin and Edwidge Woldson Recital Hall, a rehearsal and recital space which seats 170. The building also includes a multidisciplinary design studio.
Adjacent to the theater is the Woldson Wing, a recreation of the sitting rooms from Myrtle Woldson’s house, that includes her personal furnishings. The exhibit’s series of spaces are meant to educate, but also as a tribute to the donor and her commitment to the arts.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Primate research facility at Duke improves life for lemurs
Dozens of lemurs have new homes in two new facilities at the Duke Lemur Center in Raleigh, N.C. The Releasable Building connects to a 69-acre fenced forest for free-ranging lemurs, while the Semi-Releasable Building is for lemurs with limited-range privileges.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Virginia community college completes LEED Silver science building
The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore.
| Jan 20, 2011
Community college to prepare next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Jan 19, 2011
Biomedical research center in Texas to foster scientific collaboration
The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Houston will facilitate interaction between scientists in a 167,000-sf, six-story research facility. The center will bring together researchers from many of the school’s departments to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. The facility also will feature an ambulatory surgery center for the College of Optometry, the first of its kind for an optometry school. Boston-based firms Shepley Bulfinch and Bailey Architects designed the project.
| Dec 28, 2010
Project of the Week: Community college for next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Dec 17, 2010
Sam Houston State arts programs expand into new performance center
Theater, music, and dance programs at Sam Houston State University have a new venue in the 101,945-sf, $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. WHR Architects, Houston, designed the new center to connect two existing buildings at the Huntsville, Texas, campus.
| Dec 17, 2010
New engineering building goes for net-zero energy
A new $90 million, 250,000-sf classroom and laboratory facility with a 450-seat auditorium for the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is aiming for LEED Platinum.
| Dec 17, 2010
How to Win More University Projects
University architects representing four prominent institutions of higher learning tell how your firm can get the inside track on major projects.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
