A three-phased US$ 158M Athenaeum cultural arts project broke ground recently at the Richardson campus grounds of the Universidade do Texas Dallas (UTD). This is a major expansion for the University consisting of an additional 12-acre cultural district, which will include three new buildings.
The Athenaeum cultural arts project will create a new entry point through the Southern edge of the Richardson campus, and the three buildings planned for the project will consist of a performance hall, a museum intended for the traditional arts of the Americas, and a second location for the Crow Museum of Asian Arts.
Features and funding for the Athenaeum cultural arts project
Phase I of the Athenaeum cultural arts project will cover the development of a new Crow Museum, which is estimated at $43.9 million. Contributions of $25.45 million and $10.95 million were made by the Trammell Crow family and the late Margaret McDermott respectively, for the first leg of the project. This initial phase is expected to reach completion by 2024.
A 52,000-square-foot performing arts center, will be built for the second phase of the Athenaeum cultural arts project, which has been tagged at $65 million. Richard C. Benson, the UT-Dallas president, mentioned that Phase II would be partly funded by a major donation of $30 million, which will come from the O’Donnell Foundation, who also raised $2 million towards the development of the first phase. He is also expecting the performance hall to be completed sometime between 2025 and 2026.
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Benson described the Athenaeum cultural arts project as a huge leap towards becoming the third fastest growing university in the country. He also mentioned that this development would shed more light on the university’s Business School and give more expression to a large number of students, who are passionate about visual or performing arts.
According to the University, its capital campaign has raised up to $73.9 million towards building the new Athenaeum, and it’s hoping to raise an additional $59.1 million. This funding will serve three main functions, which include attracting the best faculty and students, for relevant research work, and also enhancing the arts department.
