City Newspaper Archives - 9/2007
DOWNTOWN: Eastman School announces big expansion
Published by Tim Louis Macaluso on Sep 11, 2007
The University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music has upgraded the renovation plans it announced last spring, thanks to a new $5 million grant from New York State.
In March, the UR announced it had secured an $8 million commitment from the state to renovate the Eastman Theatre, reducing the number of seats to 2,250, widening aisles, and improving the theater's acoustics.
The expanded plan adds rehearsal rooms and teaching studios and a 200-seat recital hall. They'll be housed in a new building on the southwest corner of East Main Street and Swan Street, now a parking lot. That fulfills George Eastman's vision: Eastman had wanted to buy the site 86 years ago and include the additional space with the original structure. The property's owner, however, refused to sell it.
Chaintreuil Jensen Stark's design for the new building complements the historic Eastman Theatre, extending the marquee down the Main Street façade.
The cost of the enhanced version is expected to reach $35 million. The UR has raised $18.5 million so far, President Joel Seligman said at a news conference on Monday.
"I think this demonstrates our commitment to the enrichment of community life in the city," Seligman said. "This is the cultural core of the city."
Article Photos
Chaintreuil Jensen Stark's design for the Eastman School addition, east of the theater, is loosely based on George Eastman's drawings.
