The days of Santa Fe College renting UF facilities to accommodate its performing arts will soon be over.
This August, SFC will begin construction on a $17 million fine arts hall at its northwest campus.
"We can hardly wait to open the doors to this facility," said Alora Haynes, chairwoman of the Santa Fe College Fine Arts program. "My faculty and students on campus have deserved this facility for a long time."
Projected to open in January 2011, the new facility has been under development for three years and will be 39,599 square feet, said Rebecca Rogers, director of facilities planning at SFC.
Students can watch the building/s construction through a webcam provided by SFC.
Currently, the 10 groups that perform on SFC campus are confined to an auditorium with less than 300 seats for its audience members.
"Many high school auditoriums are better than our current facilities," Haynes said.
The new performing arts center will have 600 seats across the floor and balcony, along with some of the best acoustics in Gainesville, she said.
The new facility will be funded by private donations and money the college borrowed through bonds. SFC also plans to raise money by selling seats that people can have their names engraved on.
Haynes said the new fine arts hall will not be in competition with other venues in the area.
"We exist for the purpose of the academic programs," she said.
As for the first show in January of 2011, Haynes would not comment on any specifics.
"We have a production already in mind," she said. "It will be very international and represent music, theater, dance and art."
