New Music Building

Northwestern has finally decided to construct a new $90 million School of Music building and Music and Arts Green by Pick-Staiger/Regenstein. Perhaps we'll finally have some facilities to rival that of other prestigious music programs across the nation. I remember visiting Rice University over winter break and being amazed by their huge Alice Pratt Brown Hall. Inside, they have a "1,000-seat concert hall, a 250-seat recital hall, an organ recital hall, an opera studio, 65 practice rooms, seven classrooms, rehearsal and small ensemble spaces, and 54 teaching studios." (copy-pasted from their website), housed in a long building with gardens interspersed throughout the building. $22 million dollars, it cost them. Granted, Evanston real estate prices are much higher than their Houston counterparts, but hopefully this will finally consolidate the music facilities and give our world-class students and faculty access to equally world-class resources. Too bad I'll be graduating before the building is ever completed in 2012. I guess I'll have to come back and visit occasionally.

Northwestern University's Music Administration Building

Rice University's Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Planned Music & Arts Green on the lakefront