Construction is set to begin next summer on a new and long-planned 62,100-square-foot performing arts center on the main Albuquerque campus of the University of New Mexico.
The project, expected to cost around $65 million to complete, will replace the existing Center for Fine Arts Building, which was built in 1963 and has in recent years been plagued with structural issues.
Harris Smith, dean of the school’s College of Fine Arts, has also remarked that a new facility is needed simply to accommodate a growing enrollment that sees around 1,300 students per academic year using the sometimes-cramped current facilities.
The new multi-story Center for Collaborative Arts and Technology will be built on currently vacant space along Central Avenue and will prominently include a concert and performance hall, as well as classroom and gallery space.
The building will additionally house offices, a student commons area, and room for the Center for Film & Digital Arts.
The prominent New York-based architectural firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro has been brought in as designer of the new center, with Benjamin Gilmartin, firm partner, remarking in a statement that the new center will comprise a “campus gateway on Route 66 and become a catalyst for the advancement of the arts in New Mexico.
Funding for the project is partly being supported by some $45 million in General Obligation bonds approved last year by state voters.
By Garry Boulard
