Chicago Construction News staff writer
Illinois State University will break ground today on an $82.7-million transformation of the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, marking the start of a multi-year, state-funded construction project scheduled for completion in 2028.
Construction will modernize and expand facilities across the fine arts campus while replacing Centennial West with a new Commons Building.
The project includes new construction and limited renovations to Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts and the Center for the Performing Arts. Interior renovations to existing buildings are planned during the summers of 2026 and 2027 to minimize disruption to academic programs.
“The Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts provides outstanding programming and opportunities to our students and community,” Illinois State University President Aondover Tarhule said in a statement. “This project will give students, faculty and staff even more opportunities to immerse themselves in various mediums of creative expression.”
In addition to the main transformation project, the university has completed restroom and plumbing upgrades in the Center for the Visual Arts and Centennial East through a separate, state-funded capital renewal initiative.
A livestream of the ceremony was made available on the university’s YouTube channel.
The fine arts project is one of several major construction initiatives underway or advancing this semester at Illinois State. Renovations are continuing at 1709 General Electric Road in Bloomington, the future home of the College of Engineering, with substantial completion expected this summer. The university’s Board of Trustees has also approved installation of a solar energy system at the site, projected to offset 80 to 90 per cent of its electricity use.
Planning and design are underway for the South Campus Housing-Dining Project following board approval in December 2025 of the pre-construction services budget. The proposed development includes a 900-bed residence hall and a 450-seat dining centre on the former site of the Atkin-Colby and Hamilton-Whitten residence halls.
