Plans for a new music building at Tufts have been delayed and changed countless times over the past three years, but a start date may finally loom on the horizon. The University has set a tentative spring 2002 groundbreaking, and explored plans to build a new house for the Zeta Psi fraternity, which will be displaced by the new building.
In collaboration with an outside architect, a four-member faculty committee has narrowed its building options to six or seven blueprints. The administration then imposed fundraising deadlines and is currently completing the building's design phase.
"We are tentatively picking up the design process within the next month, and groundbreaking [will be] after commencement of 2002," Vice President of Operations John Roberto said. But music department chair John McDonald said the groundbreaking ceremony will likely take place in April 2002.
The University had originally slated a summer 2003 start date in May.
The project, which has been hindered at every turn by funding shortages and resistance from Zeta Psi, is expected to cost from $22 to $25 million, with two stages of construction. In a July meeting, the committee met with executive administrators and set an Oct. 1 2001 deadline to raise the $10 million needed for Phase I of the project.
University officials are expecting a significant fundraising effort to near completion by the end of the month. "In pledges and confirmed pledges, $8 million has been raised so far," McDonald said, adding that the additional $2 million must be raised in the next two weeks.
A Jan. 1, 2002 deadline was set for raising a total of $13 million, and McDonald said he and the rest of the music department expect to reach this goal. The University has paid an architectural firm, DTS Shaw, to begin more advanced design phases.
According to trustee policies, the University cannot break ground until all funding is secured for Phase I. "Once we're able to start the project, we'll have an ongoing project, and that might make fundraising for Phase II a bit easier," Roberto said last year. "Prospective donors would be able to see the project taking place."
Regardless of fundraising accomplishments, the University cannot begin construction until it honors its contract to first build Zeta Psi a new fraternity house on Professors Row. The University agreed to purchase the land plot and house, appraised last year at $1.5 million, that Zeta Psi currently owns.
The fraternity brothers are creating designs for a location yet to be determined. A new house must be completed before the current house is demolished so that brothers are not displaced.
"We are not totally convinced that this will happen... because the timeline is not firm," said John Sunkin, former president of Zeta Psi. Sunkin is "confident that the house at 80 Professors Row will be there for a time... because I am not convinced that the University has its act together on it."
But McDonald said that construction will begin soon. "We are encouraged that this really seems like it's becoming a reality," he said, adding that he is pleased with President Larry Bacow's enthusiasm for the new building.
The building, a 33,000-square-foot, three-floor complex, will be located at 80 Professors Row, replacing the former Academic Resource Center and the 150-year old Zeta Psi fraternity house. The new building will alleviate current strains on limited rehearsal, teaching, office, and practice space and allow for expansion of the music library.
McDonald said that building size, the amount of available land, operational costs, and fundraising were all considered in the design plans. Phase I includes the demolition of the current site and building the center's shell, while Phase II will involve constructing classroom, office, and rehearsal spaces, and a new music library.
The concert hall, judged to be the most pressing need, will be available for student use once it is completed, though no date has been set for completing either phase.
The music department will still make use of the Aidekman Arts Center; Cohen auditorium will still be used for larger concerts, even after the new building is completed.
Performance groups will also continue to use the Gantcher gymnasium when collaborating with other schools' groups, while the new building's 300-seat recital hall will hold smaller concerts because of its limited seating capacity. The New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall may also be used for performances demanding more seating.
"We have been fitting all our needs and hence the students' needs into building," McDonald said. "Our goal is to be able to get as much of our function into the building as we can."
The building will include three rehearsal spaces and four classrooms of varying sizes. The music department may rent out its recital hall to private individuals or local groups, as other schools do. While this option would bring in additional revenue and students could attend concerts on an almost daily basis, it would also necessitate a Recital Hall Manager position, raising operational costs.
