Construction work on turning Augustana College’s College Center into a new building for the performing arts is going according to plan, according to Director of Facility Services Joe Scifo. The construction is all part of Augustana’s $4m plan to expand their theater arts program.
“Work on this project is proceeding as scheduled and continues to go as expected,” said Scifo. He said that the deadlines that had been set were expected to be met with no large issues.
Workers were here during all of winter break, and a lot of progress was made during that time period. Extensive work was completed, including the demolition of the loft and installation of structural steel.
There have been a few unexpected hitches that came along with construction. The Snack Bar in the basement of The College Center has had to refrain from serving hot meals, such as burgers and fries, as during demolition it was determined that the exhaust ductwork for the grill in the Snack Bar needed to be replaced. The Snack Bar has adjusted and remained, serving cold grab and go meals and homemade soups while the duct work is being replaced.
Another issue encountered is that sections of the concrete flooring in the old dishwashing area on the second floor needed to be removed and leveled out for the new theater use. However, Scifo said that none of this is cause for worry.
“As with any major renovation project it is expected to have some issues,” said Scifo. Scifo continued to say that none of these issues were even close to being large enough to worry him or his team.
This construction is all part of Augustana 2020: A Strategic Plan and the plans to increase their theater department. With a new musical theater major added, a new space was needed to allow for the larger and more elaborate staging that many musicals require. The College Center’s renovation will include a new fixed thrust stage theater space that would seat between 260 and 280 audience members. There will also be a blackbox theater that fits between 60 and 80 audience members. There will also be performing halls
As soon as this project is complete and the theater department has moved into the College Center, part of Bergendoff Hall will be redesigned to improve facilities for the music and art history departments.
Scifo said that the theater should be completed just in time for classes to begin in the fall term of 2016. “Construction should be completed in August and the theater should be in operation for the beginning of classes in fall,” said Scifo.