Lone Star College-University Park has delayed the construction of a $21.67 million Visual and Performing Arts Center until 2021, according to campus officials.
LSC-University Park President Shah Ardalan said the delay is due in part to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as well as the $60 million the college system spent to repair facilities following Hurricane Harvey. The project was part of Lone Star College System’s $485 million bond referendum, which was approved by voters in 2014.
Ardalan said the new construction plan will be approved by the board of trustees in the spring, with construction planned to last about 18 months. He said the building is expected to be open by fall 2022.
Jonathan Anderson, the college's dean of arts and humanities, said the about 30,000-square-foot facility will feature a 338-seat main-stage theater, a band hall, a 100-seat black box theater and an art gallery. Anderson said the building will not only provide a place for instruction and performance for the more than 1,000 students enrolled in the programs but will also act as a gateway for the Spring community.
“This really gives us an opportunity to really get out into that community and bring that visibility back to our campus,” Anderson said.
Anderson said LSC has collaborated with local school districts to allow students to perform in the new facility. He said this creates an opportunity for the campus to recruit prospective students in the area.
