The curtain will go down at the McAninch Arts Center in a few weeks, only to rise anew sometime around Valentine’s Day 2014.
The College of DuPage venue is scheduled for major renovations that will leave primary performance spaces updated, address infrastructure needs and upgrade several of the 25-year-old building’s academic program areas. The $35 million project is being funded as part of a $168 million referendum drive undertaken by the college two years ago.
“The McAninch Arts Center is a vibrant facility on campus,” said Aleisha Jaeger, senior project manager at COD, in a press release. “The renovations are needed to maintain the quality of the programming and will enhance the center’s exuberant atmosphere.”
The center encompasses three performance spaces, a gallery and classrooms for such academic programs as theater, music, art, photography, motion picture/television and graphic design.
Included in the plans are a facelift for the front entrance that will add a new canopy; replacement of the existing tinted glass panels with clear panels that echo the designs found on other buildings on campus; relocation of the ticket office; and a new concession and bar area in the lobby.
Inside the 800-seat main theater, the work will include replacement of all seats and wall treatments, installation of a new heating and cooling system, and acoustics improvements designed to reduce exterior noise. The entrances to both Theatre 2 and the Studio Theater also will be transformed to give each a strong identity.
Plans for the academic program areas call for renovations in the studio spaces for drawing, painting and printmaking, as well as the graphic design studios. The motion picture/television and photography spaces will receive new floors and ceiling paint, and all public corridors will be brightened to encourage collaborative gathering and critique spaces.
Other major infrastructure changes include a new roof, upgrades and integration to building automation systems, and replacement of the skylight systems.
Work is scheduled to start this fall and will be completed in February 2014. Also scheduled this year are renovations of the physical education center, student resource center and Seaton Computing Center, and construction of the campus maintenance center.