Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph is planning a major renovation and expansion of Potter Hall, the home to its School of Fine Arts.
News-Press Now reports that the plans call for the facility to undergo a substantial renovation of existing spaces and the construction of several additions.
“Potter Hall, we’ve just outgrown it,” says Jerry Pickman, executive director of the Missouri Western State University Foundation.
The university says enrollment in fine arts programs has grown by more than 60 percent over the last several years..
Crowding has been an issue at Potter Hall for many years. According to the university’s fundraising materials, the building was constructed in 1971 as an original piece of the Western campus. An addition in 1986 helped alleviate crowding, and a percussion studio was constructed in 2014 to replace a modular unit that had been in place in 2000.
Today, the building is over capacity again.
Key upgrades planned include construction of a new studio theater, percussion studio, instrument rehearsal hall and visual arts annex, in addition to a campus courtyard, an entry courtyard and entry gallery.
Most of the space in the existing building will be renovated. The improvements will create a new choral hall and a large classroom that will double as a cinema screening room.
The final scope of the Potter Hall project will depend on the amount of fundraising the university can generate
