< for Creativity (WCC) is on schedule to be completed for its official opening on the first day of classes. Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the new Arts building so that class can commence on September 12 in the completed space. “Faculty have already moved into their offices and the classroom technology is in the process of being installed,” said Steven Richardson, the Director of the Arts and member of the WCC’s planning committee. “ We have received an occupancy permit from the city of Northfield and [it] will be ready for the first day of classes.
The multi-million dollar project, which has been planned and discussed for over a decade, began construction in the spring of 2010. Over the past year and a half, the old Northfield Middle School building that was purchased by Carleton, has been under an architectural reconstruction. The design team chose to keep the exterior largely untouched, while focusing redesign efforts on transforming the interior into a multimedia space that fosters learning and creativity. “The Weitz Center is a big, welcoming space for creativity and collaboration in all kinds of forms,” explained Richardson.“We’ve designed it – and started to program it – to be flexible and unexpected.”
The WCC plans to be the main center for the visual, media, and performing arts at Carleton. The Center will be the headquarters of the Cinema and Media Studies and the Theater and Dance departments. Art History and Studio Art will also share the space, though their respective departments’ headquarters will remain in Boliou. The Presentation, Events, and Production Support (PEPS) staff will also move their station from the Library to reside in the Idea Lab section of the Center.
The 135,000 square foot space will hold a 250-seat theater, a cinema, two dance studios, two video production labs, an audio-recording studio, two art galleries, a teaching museum, an Idea Lab, and classrooms. The Center is stocked with all the latest technology, but also meets the requirements of an LEED Green Certified building. Currently, construction crews are finishing the installation of the last pieces of electrical equipment. “[They’re] installing all the technology, getting curtains hung around the big screen in the cinema, getting signage installed, lots of last-minute painting and painting touch-up,” Richardson said about the last-minute progress. Despite having just a few final days to pull it all together, there is no doubt that the center will be ready to make its deadline.
As the countdown begins for the official opening, faculty and staff look forward with anticipation for the space to be accessible for the Carleton community. Overall, “We look forward to seeing the great spaces that we’ve planned and built fill with great new work by our students and faculty,” said Richardson. “It’s an awesome building.”
