Editor's note: Artists' renderings of the interior and exterior of the performing arts center are available electronically; see instructions below. If you prefer laser prints, please contact Lisa Klionsky, News Service, (530) 752-9841, lrklionsky@ucdavis.edu.
Design and financing plans for the proposed University of California, Davis, performing arts center will be presented to the UC Regents for approval Friday, Nov. 20.
Having received initial Regental approval in May for continued planning, UC Davis officials now are requesting signoff on plans for the entire project, including an 1,800-seat performance hall, 250-seat studio theater and related parking and roadway changes near the Interstate 80 entry to the campus. The plans will be discussed Thursday in committee and presented to the full board Friday for approval.
The center's cost is estimated at $52.4 million, with an additional $1.1 million for financing, says campus planner Bob Segar. The project will be financed by $15.5 million in nonstate campus funds, $22.6 million in gifts from a fund-raising campaign, and $15.4 million in loans.
The 1,800-seat hall will be the first building in a multiyear plan for arts facilities, including a future visual arts center and small music recital hall. The arts venues, along with the changes in the roadway and parking, will create a new entrance to the campus at what is now a parking lot off Interstate 80. The improved parking and roadways are estimated to cost $19.4 million, to be funded from parking reserves, nonstate campus funds and loans.
"The performing arts center is the place where new ideas are debated, scripts and musical compositions tested, and the treasures of the world's literary and performing traditions are given life," says UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef.
While it is not inexpensive to build such a performing arts hall with the flexibility and durability to serve the campus long into the future, "we have put a great deal of effort, on our very large and diverse campus, towards appropriately matching the level of design and construction with the needs of each campus program," Vanderhoef says.
"We build facilities ranging from simple agricultural support buildings ... to complex laboratories ... to special purpose buildings like a performing arts center where we must meet very exacting demands for visual and musical experience."
The performing arts hall would provide the campus and Sacramento Valley audiences, as well as regional arts organizations, with much-needed performance space. Campus performing arts venues currently are inadequate to support the current and planned UC Davis cultural arts programs, campus leaders say. The primary facility available, Freeborn Hall, is a flat-floored, multipurpose space with limited acoustical capabilities and seating.
"This new performance hall represents the university's commitment to provide comprehensive educational opportunities to a growing body of students," says JoAnn Cannon, dean of the UC Davis Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, "and to be a fully engaged component in the community that supports us."
The main performance hall will feature state-of-the-art acoustic and technical capabilities for music, dance and theatrical performances, and the studio theater will accommodate a variety of functions, including dance and music rehearsals and performances, lectures, films and other events.
As the planning phase has proceeded, campus officials have made an initial study to determine any significant environmental impacts not already analyzed in a 1994 UC Davis long-range development plan environmental impact report. To date, no new environmental impacts have been found. Regents will be asked to approve the new environmental study as part of the campus's request for a long-range development plan amendment.
Vanderhoef notes that one side of the performing arts hall will be visible and accessible from I-80, while the other will open onto courtyards along the UC Davis Arboretum.
"We are seeking to open our front door to the world and surround it with activities that are accessible to the public. This hall will be located in a place where our campus physically intersects with our region."
Instructions for FTP retrieval of performing arts center images:
Connect to the UC Davis Public Communications FTP site using either a Web browser or an FTP application.
If you use a browser to connect, use this URL:
ftp://urelations.ucdavis.edu/Outgoing/CFA_Images/
If you use an FTP application, such as Fetch on Macintosh or Winsock FTP on Windows PC, use the following information to log in:
Host: urelations.ucdavis.edu
UserID: anonymous
Password: guest
Directory: /Outgoing/CFA_Images
For each image file, there are two formats: a straight JPEG file (i.e. aerial.jpg) and a BinHex compressed JPEG file (i.e. aerial.jpg.hqx). If you use an FTP application, download the straight JPEG file. If the file is corrupted, try downloading the BinHex version. If you use a browser, download the BinHex version by clicking on file names.
Files (CMYK, 7.5 inches wide, 225 pixels per inch) available for downloading are:
Aerial.jpg or Aerial.jpg.hqx An aerial view of the hall and its environs
Nite_ext.jpg or Nite_ext.jpg.hqx A night view of the front exterior of the hall
Hall_int.jpg or Hall_int.jpg.hqx An interior view of the hall with a performance in progress
Media Resources
Susanne Rockwell, Web and new media editor, (530) 752-2542, sgrockwell@ucdavis.edu