A rendering of VCU’s upcoming Arts and Innovation Academic Building, which is planned to be built at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets. (Image courtesy VCU)
Amid inflation and supply chain challenges, VCU expects it will cost tens of millions more to build the sizable new arts building it’s planning for the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets downtown.
According to a university memo, VCU said the price tag for its Arts and Innovation Academic Building will be $253 million, up from the $181 million budget that was announced when the project was approved by the school’s Board of Visitors in 2019.
The board is slated to vote to approve the updated cost figure as well as design plans at its meeting Friday. The project’s cost has risen due to factors such as inflation, construction costs and expected supply chain disruptions, the memo states.
The building also is expected to be larger than initially planned, at nearly 213,000 square feet. Previously, it was announced to be 196,000 square feet. VCU spokesman Mike Porter said the project’s square footage was expanded to enclose the planned rooftop equipment storage area.
The plan is for the state to fund $232.4 million of the project, with the remaining $20.6 million to be covered by the university, which is leaning on a fundraising campaign for the project.
“There is a strong interest to assist the university in funding this project,” Porter said in an email this week. “Fundraising is underway and announcements will be made upon donors’ approval.”
Once the board approves the amended project cost, the university will look to request the money from the state and anticipates the state funding will be lined up this year.
VCU plans to break ground on the project this fall, and is targeting a completion date of 2027.
Hourigan is general contractor. William Rawn Associates is the project’s architecture firm.
The arts building would be constructed on a roughly acre-sized assemblage that includes the site of a vacant restaurant building at 501 W. Broad St., a former gas station site at 535 W. Broad St., and the site where the former RamBikes building currently stands at 201 N. Belvidere St. VCU’s real estate foundation owns all three properties.
Once constructed, the building is planned to be a consolidated home for the university’s arts programs, featuring hybrid classroom-labs and other facilities intended for arts, medicine, engineering and business students.
The building is planned to feature an auditorium and stage, classrooms, rehearsal spaces, a costume lab, sound studio and a prop shop among other facilities, per the project plans.
The board’s approval of the new project cost and design will be followed by board approval of the demolition of existing structures on the site and a final construction contract before the project’s groundbreaking, Porter said.
A rendering of VCU’s upcoming Arts and Innovation Academic Building, which is planned to be built at the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets. (Image courtesy VCU)
Amid inflation and supply chain challenges, VCU expects it will cost tens of millions more to build the sizable new arts building it’s planning for the corner of Broad and Belvidere streets downtown.
According to a university memo, VCU said the price tag for its Arts and Innovation Academic Building will be $253 million, up from the $181 million budget that was announced when the project was approved by the school’s Board of Visitors in 2019.
The board is slated to vote to approve the updated cost figure as well as design plans at its meeting Friday. The project’s cost has risen due to factors such as inflation, construction costs and expected supply chain disruptions, the memo states.
The building also is expected to be larger than initially planned, at nearly 213,000 square feet. Previously, it was announced to be 196,000 square feet. VCU spokesman Mike Porter said the project’s square footage was expanded to enclose the planned rooftop equipment storage area.
The plan is for the state to fund $232.4 million of the project, with the remaining $20.6 million to be covered by the university, which is leaning on a fundraising campaign for the project.
“There is a strong interest to assist the university in funding this project,” Porter said in an email this week. “Fundraising is underway and announcements will be made upon donors’ approval.”
Once the board approves the amended project cost, the university will look to request the money from the state and anticipates the state funding will be lined up this year.
VCU plans to break ground on the project this fall, and is targeting a completion date of 2027.
Hourigan is general contractor. William Rawn Associates is the project’s architecture firm.
The arts building would be constructed on a roughly acre-sized assemblage that includes the site of a vacant restaurant building at 501 W. Broad St., a former gas station site at 535 W. Broad St., and the site where the former RamBikes building currently stands at 201 N. Belvidere St. VCU’s real estate foundation owns all three properties.
Once constructed, the building is planned to be a consolidated home for the university’s arts programs, featuring hybrid classroom-labs and other facilities intended for arts, medicine, engineering and business students.
The building is planned to feature an auditorium and stage, classrooms, rehearsal spaces, a costume lab, sound studio and a prop shop among other facilities, per the project plans.
The board’s approval of the new project cost and design will be followed by board approval of the demolition of existing structures on the site and a final construction contract before the project’s groundbreaking, Porter said.
Good to know that VCU is so strapped for money it has no choice but to raise tuitions, but there is always money for shiny new buildings. With tax payer assistance of course. Universities simply exist now for the aggrandizement of the administration. The education mission could be accomplished so much more simply and cheaper. But what fun is that?
Yes. I would be happier if they spent that money to hire a higher caliber of Science, Engineering — research professor.
$72 million more…how ironic. Love the building though, at least it has flare
Yes , isn’t it?
I agree that VCU is tone deaf to the general public regarding tuition raises, but if there is ONE school within VCU that should expand their footprint, it is the School of Arts. VCU is ranked in the top 5 (depending on the ranker) in the US, and # 1 for sculpture. I’m not sure if this Art Ranking is a good thing for RVA, but…I guess we train the best sculptors out there!
As well as the best tattoo artists on the east coast! VCU’s growth is the city’s and states growth. The new Dental education building snd the new Arts building as well as the new STEM building will be filled with students. This is money we’ll spent.
Enrollment is down 9% since 2018 and long term trends show a higher education cliff looming. They’re going to be fighting all the other schools that have been spending like there’s no tomorrow over the same shrinking pool of students.
Rock climbing walls in the Campus Center?
Yes, you are correct — and there are more problems facing institutes of higher education than this — that is why every time I see evidence of Inmates Running the Asylum in american Unis, I think that this is just more evidence that students are more and more desperately seen as The Customer.
Speaking more broadly to your point, Bruce, of VCU’s growth being the city’s and state’s growth – you are spot on. The STEM program in particular finally gives Richmond some real firepower going forward in competing for jobs/companies that have been gravitating to cities like Charlotte, Austin, Raleigh, Nashville – our chief competitors. Richmond has lagged far behind our primary competitors in terms of economic and population growth, and a significant factor is the simple fact that jobs/companies in many of these fast-growing, higher-paying industries have been bypassing Richmond in favor of those other cities over the past decade in… Read more »
But why does they need another auditorium. They have the old Lee Theater, the Singleton Performing Arts Center, the Shaffer Street Playhouse, the Raymond Hodges Theatre, Richard Newdick Theatre plus many auditoriums including one in the old business building and the new business building. I am guessing this means Franklin Terrace or Polluck will be reused/readapted?
I think it is good for RVA, sure. But maybe not so great for VCU itself — not sure how much sculpture majors make on average — meanwhile, a mediocre Nurse Practitioner, well… and even a lower tier engineer — yes. I say this as someone who has a BFA. Further, one of my classmates and friends from college days has long been a professor there. Some say it is good to play to your strengths, and that may be true, if those strengths are actually important and useful. We are more well known for TEARING down well cast sculptures… Read more »
With that kind of cost increase, are they not even considering reissuing the RFP for the construction management contract? The state should demand it before giving VCU the money.
Did they even bid the construction contract?
The state and VCU don’t always follow the
rules on procurement.The good ole boys network.
Has anyone considered the shrinking enrollment at VCU along with the projected decline is college aged students in the next decade, due to demographic changes?
I think collage enrollment is going to tank in the future when more people realize that a collage degree doesn’t mean people get better jobs.
I don’t know, there are many careers that will unfortunately always require a degree, so as long as people are interested in those job fields, they’ll always have to get the requisite degrees.
But painting and sculpture, Arts are next to worthless degrees for the most part
That is sorta true — only way it isn’t, generally, is the foundation of the hope that the founder of Cooper Union — an Art and Engineering school held: that both engineering students and Art students would benefit from cross-pollination — because Engineers should be creative just like Arts people should find an actual needed use for their skills and not just “express themselves”. So, I believe a BFA education, which I have, among other discipline areas, CAN be a bonus — but if you are just making art that no one even wants to buy to make their surroundings… Read more »
Does the design include onsite parking?
Doubtful. There are two garages that share property lines or are separated by an alley.
I don’t know, but I doubt it. The City just voted down parking requirements and developers are super happy they do not have to build any parking. Admittedly I am a curmudgeon who loves to drive, but green City planners can’t force Richmonders out of their cars by not offering parking- you just force them from visiting the City.
Keep in mind, construction projects that are state funded and permitted through the Virginia department of engineering and buildings (DEB) are exempt from all local zoning ordinances and thus not subject to review by the locality with regard to zoning and building permitting. So the city’s parking requirements would not have applied here regardless of what they were.
Well, THERE’S ALWAYS THE SUBURBS —they’ve been growing faster since forever anyway.
Is there any sense of restraint in our government anymore?
I think the state should not give one penny to this project until every cost is line items by an oversight committee chaired by me to expose the fraud
I love to expose fraud even at USAA insurance and I don’t care how these political people feel including a police chief I exposed for fraud
http://www.dangeroustrailers.org/defendants-in-dawson-stolen-trailer-case-plead-guilty-before-trial-dawson-police-chief.html
And the 73 million that just got thrown out the window would have helped
As a graduate of the painting and printmaking department, and someone who has made a living solely off my own art for the past decade, I’d say VCU’s dollars would be better spent on high quality faculty. The consensus seems to be that university employees are treated as disposable (at best), when it was a handful of instructors who actually made my education worthwhile. A shiny building won’t mean much if it’s full of miserable adjuncts afraid to lose their jobs. The existing arts building on Broad is still an acceptable facility for most undergrad programs at the very least.… Read more »
THIS. 100%.
Thank you for this post — sense on many levels.
Agree 100% – I’m a Painting MFA from 84, great experience while in school. After that VCU provided 0 support. Spending 200 million on a shiny object is a waste. Besides – as a taxpayer I’d rather have the money go to public education. If VCU wants a new building then raise the funds and find a wealthy donor.
So the cancer center is asking for donations but they have 250 mil to spend on an art center??
Is this replacing the Arts Depot facilities, then? And will VCU finally figure out how to respond to sincere interest and inquiries into its AMPT program and put some resources toward that in this space?
No, this is replacing Singleton and the Dance Center.
The Empire State Building was built in one year, 45 days. It has 102 floors. Why will this one take 4 years?
How much does VCU make from donations from the Arts Alumni? Am I allowed to ask this question or is it the sort of information that is not supposed to be considered?