Santa Fe College is celebrating the ceremonial groundbreaking of its new fine arts hall — the most ambitious and expensive construction project in the college’s history — at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Northwest campus, 3000 NW 83rd St.
“This Fine Arts Hall confirms my conviction that arts and sciences are inextricable, and that the characteristics of a great scientist or scientific discovery are identical to those of a great artist or work of art,” said SFC President Jackson Sasser. “Santa Fe is indeed greater than the sum of its parts because of the manner in which art permeates every program and service at our college.”
The 40,000 square foot, $17.2 million facility is slated to open in spring 2011. It will house a 606-person capacity theater with floor and balcony seating to host performances by the college’s dance, theater, and music students and the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra; a multipurpose classroom with a sprung wood floor; a stage house; scene shop; and offices for Fine Arts faculty and staff.
“I really feel that there has never been a more deserving group of students and faculty,” said Alora Haynes, Chair, Fine Arts. “They’ve definitely earned the privilege of a new home. These are award-winning programs that need and deserve high caliber facilities. We are also the conference site for an annual statewide dance workshop. Now we’ll have the facilitates to more comfortably accommodate it.”
The groundbreaking ceremony features brief performances by those who will benefit from the facility such as the Santa Fe Singers, Dance Theatre of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Winds and the Santa Fe Jazz Band.
The construction site is visible from NW 83rd Street and is surrounded by a fence draped with a blue covering. It’s between Administration and North Road off NW 83rd Street. The celebration will take place below the front entrance to the Lawrence Tyree Library, just north of the site.
Please see the links below for a building fact sheet and the event’s program. For more information, call Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296.
Building web page (with architectural renderings)
Gainesville Sun article