Gonzaga to break ground on new performing arts center
This rendering shows the exterior of the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center which Gonzaga University is breaking ground on in the spring of 2017. (COURTESY OF GONZAGA UNIVERSITY)
Gonzaga University plans to break ground next spring on a new performing arts center to be built near the Jundt Art Center and Museum on the west side of campus.
Called the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, the $30 million facility will be funded through a major bequest from Woldson, a local philanthropist who died in 2014 at the age of 104.
The two-story, nearly 58,000-square-foot building will include a 750-seat theater, a 150-seat recital hall, a two-story lobby with a box office, and classroom space, offices, dressing and makeup rooms, and a “green room.” It will be used for music, theater and dance programs.
It is expected to open by winter 2018, according to a news release. It will be located immediately south of the former Knights of Columbus building on Desmet Avenue; that building is being renovated to house faculty offices, studios, and practice and rehearsal spaces.
Woldson left Gonzaga three prized, income-producing waterfront properties in downtown Seattle when she died. Their market value was estimated at $55 million in 2015.
“I will always cherish the opportunity I had to work with Miss Woldson and am committed to assuring her legacy shines brightly as a beacon – illuminating our students and the community in ways that would make her proud,” Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh said in a news release.