Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will start construction on a new $81 million arts and media building in April.
The A&M-Corpus Christi facility will house undergraduate and graduate programs within the School of Arts, Media and Communication. The university is planning a two-story, 85,000-square-foot building.
“We’ve had tremendous growth and success in our arts programs,” Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Kelly Miller said. “That is due to the quality of the faculty and what the students are learning. It is despite the (current) facility.”
The project will include a 325-seat proscenium theater performance space, a 200-seat recital hall, a black box theater and a dance studio, as well as rehearsal halls and theater labs for instruction in costume construction and makeup.
The building will also house a display honoring civil rights advocate and Corpus Christi icon Dr. Hector P. Garcia.
Inside the recital hall, the university plans to place a new $250,000 Bösendorfer Concert Grand Piano that the music department has received as a gift.