In his inauguration address on April 5, President Bill Chace affirmed the University's commitment to establishing an arts center. "We must build a center for the performing arts; its absence has to be remedied, and remedied well," Chace said.
When plans for an Emory arts center were announced in 1992, the goal was to provide space for academic programming in the arts as well as serving as a principal venue for the 1996 Cultural Olympiad. "The timetable of trying to complete the center in time for the Olympics became unrealistic as we moved from the design concept to making specific decisions on space and usage," said Emory College Dean David Bright. "We came to realize that as the design and academic programs evolved they were not a good match, and we required a structure that more adequately fit our academic needs."
Bright has organized a committee to present Chace with a plan to proceed with development of the center. The preliminary report is due in late summer.
Emory will absorb the $3.7 million in normal consulting costs associated with the Eisenman design of the project. The cost will be covered by the University's discretionary resources. No funds will be appropriated from tuition revenue. The revised plan for the facility will be less than the $45 million cost associated with the Eisenman design, and the University will continue to seek private funding to build the center.
--Nancy Seideman