University President Marvin Krislov announced that the lower levels in One Pace Plaza East and Maria’s Tower residence hall will begin renovations starting in 2023 and are slated to finish in early 2026, as announced in an email to the student body on Dec. 8. 

The Board of Trustees approved the construction on Dec. 7, which includes the creation of modernized academic spaces for the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and a “state-of-the-art” Performing Arts Center for the School of Performing Arts that will also act as a community gathering space for the University community. 

Talks to replace the Schimmel Center Theater have been confirmed in the latest construction outline, which includes a new proscenium theater for the School of Performing Arts, more theaters and supporting spaces, alongside modern classrooms and creative arts spaces similar to the aesthetic of the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of One Pace Plaza West. Doing so will displace administrative offices found on the second and third floor of One Pace Plaza East, most notably professors’ offices and sciences laboratory in the West Wing of the third floor. To that effect, Krislov clarified that the University will “continue to work with those units…to find good solutions.”

“This provides the up-to-date instructional, creative and performances spaces we need, and it keeps our large gathering space–used by the entire University and the border community–at the center of our campus,” stated President Krislov in the email.

Maria’s Tower will be upgraded to include more residential spaces to compensate for the overflow of prospective freshman students in conjunction with current upperclassman residences, reflective of this year’s approximate 480 residences. The surplus dorm rooms, with the addition of 15 Beekman scheduled to be finished by Fall 2023, will enable the University to end its lease with 55 John St. residence hall and no longer provide it as a student housing option. 

Financially speaking, the University is confident they will be able to fund the construction through a number of avenues, like the University’s construction fund, issued debts, a $25 million commitment from New York State to be distributed over five years after including the Performing Arts Center as part of the renovation, a pending $5 million federal appropriation for the 2023 budget and a fundraising campaign targeted to raise a minimum $50 million.

The final details surrounding specifics related to the construction are still in the developmental stages, however, Krislov noted that the University is obligated to meet the code work via the new construction plan by 2027, “regardless of whether we complete this major renovation.” The University will be hosting open forums for students, faculty and staff to contribute their thoughts on the construction and what else to include that will benefit the University community. 

This is a developing story that The Pace Press will follow closely as more information becomes readily available to the public.