RICHARDSON, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
A cultural district is taking shape at the University of Texas at Dallas.
The first phase of the $158 million project was just completed, and work is underway on a second phase that will deliver even more sleekly designed buildings. Once completed, the 12-acre district on the southeastern edge of the campus in Richardson will feature a performance and music building, two museums, a grand plaza and more.
The university broke ground Sept. 24 on phase two of the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum. The two-story, roughly 66,000-square-foot building will feature a 680-seat performance hall, teaching studios, student and classroom spaces, a recording studio and practice rooms.
The new performance hall and music building will become "a hub of creativity and provide us the opportunity to engage the broader Dallas community," said Nils Roemer, dean of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities and Technology at UT Dallas.
"It will elevate the arts experience with a world-class stage for students and faculty," Roemer said. "It will provide opportunities for us to showcase our incredible talent on campus and attract distinguished performers. Designed with a focus on interconnectedness, the classrooms, rehearsal rooms and studios will enable teaching, learning and performing to take place seamlessly."
The first phase, the UT Dallas Art Museums, also opened Sept. 24 and houses the Trammell and Margaret Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas. The two-story facility spans 57,000 square feet and consists of 12 galleries, a seminar room, a covered outdoor space, a conservation studio and a dedicated art object study room. It's the second location of the Crow Museum and more than doubles the exhibition space of the original location in the Dallas Arts District.
Amy Lewis Hofland, senior director at the Crow Museum of Asian Art, said the new location has seen more than 4,000 visitors in the few weeks it’s been open.
"What we're witnessing is a world-class, Tier 1 Carnegie-rated university that is taking a serious investment in the arts and culture that will impact the region tremendously," Hofland said. "We are the first major art museum north of [Interstate] 635. We have a beautiful partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art, and we're also a place for play, experiment, study and research."
The new museum showcases items from the Crow Museum's original collection and houses rotating artwork on loan from the Dallas Museum of Art. It's a place where research and technology will mingle with art in "living classrooms," Hofland said.
"What you'll see is what happens in that beautiful alchemy when a Ph.D candidate partners with a professor [and] an artist from Asia and creates a new form of art, whether it's through technology or other media," she said. "I see all of the galleries as living classrooms with this idea that we are really getting to take research into new platforms and new media."
It’s unclear when a third phase of the O’Donnell Athenaeum might begin, but the final addition to the district is expected to feature a second museum and a parking structure.
Morphosis, the architecture firm behind the design of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, developed the master plan and designed the buildings for the athenaeum. The California-headquartered firm partnered with Dallas-based GFF while The Beck Group and joint venture partner EJ Smith Construction are the project’s general contractors.
In addition to the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, construction continues on UT Dallas' new esports center. The 17,384-square-foot project is expected to deliver in early 2025. The center will feature a multipurpose area, open gaming lounge and a new eatery.
