Belton, Texas – On Friday, February 5, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will break ground on its newest facility, a dedicated performing arts center. The groundbreaking celebration will be held at 1:00 p.m. on the site where the center will be built at the front of the UMHB campus, 810 N. Main. The event is open to the public.
The ceremony will include prelude music by student instrumental ensembles. The UMHB Concert Choir will also be performing a selection of music from its upcoming tour across Austria.
“The excitement level around here is off the register,” said Jonathan Gary, chair of the UMHB Department of Music. “The whole department is preparing for the celebration, and the students are honored to be a part of such a historical event.”
The performing arts center was listed as a priority in the university’s Campus Master Plan, which was approved by the UMHB Board of Trustees in February of 2011. Less than five years later, it will be the final project in that plan to begin construction.
“Certainly God has blessed Mary Hardin-Baylor,” said Dr. Steve Theodore, senior vice president for administration and COO. “To be on the last project of an ambitious Campus Master Plan this quickly is amazing.”
“It could not have been possible if it weren’t for many sacrificial gifts from friends of the university,” Theodore said.
The 40,725-square-foot performing arts center will include multifunctional rooms that will allow it to be easily utilized for both learning and performance purposes. The center will also feature a 546-seat theater with a proscenium stage, fly space, and orchestra pit.
“It’s going to provide a professional quality performance facility for our students,” said Ted Barnes, dean of the university’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. “I think it will also enhance our academic reputation in the area of performing arts.”
Another aspect of the center’s design is a 2,000-square-foot ensemble room, which can be used as a classroom, a venue for small concerts or recitals, or a reception space for social gatherings. The new facility will also include scene shops, costume shops, and dressing rooms.
“Every space is multipurpose,” Gary said. “Even the dressing rooms have movable walls so that they can be combined to make a large classroom with makeup stations that can convert into desks.”
The lobby of the new performing arts center has also been designed with performance in mind. All of the materials used in its floor and ceiling have been selected based on their acoustic qualities.
Space was made for the new building through the demolition of the university’s Huckins Apartments.
“Every time that I’ve driven by and seen them tearing down the apartments,” Gary said, “the reality has hit that this is actually going to happen.”
“It’s allowing me to dream of what a game changer this is going to be for UMHB and its fine arts programs.”
