Chicago Construction News staff writer
Construction crews are working to prepare the southeast corner of the Quad for a two-year-long construction project that will update and add space to the site. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last week at the site.
The State of Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) recently approved the $82.7 million state-funded WKCFA transformation project.
WKCFA is comprised of multiple buildings, all owned and operated by Illinois State University. The CDB project’s scope includes the demolition of Centennial West, renovation to portions of the Center for Visual Arts and Centennial East, additions to the Center for Performing Arts and the Center for Visual Arts, and the new construction of a Commons Building in place of the original Centennial West.
Initially appropriated in Fiscal Year 2010, the project experienced many delays and re-appropriations over 15 years of planning. In May 2019, the Board of Trustees approved $15 million to renovate four locations on campus to serve as temporary space during construction. Students, faculty, and staff, relocated to those spaces in 2022 to minimize disruption with the demolition of Centennial West. Interior renovations in nearby buildings will take place over the summers of 2026 and 2027.
