3 replies to this topic

[The Voice of Reason]

http://www.ct.gov/go...s...93&Q=415202

$80.4 Million project.  I am not sure where this will be located and I am also not familiar enough with Danbury to reaqlly comment, but thought that was a pretty big project than now has fulol funding

The building will feature:



·        An 800-seat concert hall

·        A 500-seat proscenium theatre

·        A 200-seat recital hall

·        A 200-seat studio

·        An art gallery

·        Classrooms

·        Conference rooms

·        Various lab rooms

·        Choral and orchestra rooms

·        52 practice rooms

·        Recording studio

·        Rehearsal rooms

·        Faculty office and support space.



Recent completed projects at WCSU include:

<LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in">In January 2007, Governor Rell cut the ribbon on the $17.8 million, 49,000 square foot Westside Campus Center.  The three-floor building features a cafeteria, fitness center, library, lounges, meeting and conference rooms, student offices and a ballroom facility. <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in">The $14.8 million Fifth Avenue Parking Garage at WCSU was completed in 2006.  <LI style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: list .5in">The $46.2 million Science Building at the Midtown Campus was completed in 2005.

• In 2004, a new $26 million residence hall and parking garage was completed.

[Lowerdeck]

It is on the Westside Campus, a few miles outside downtown.  The campus is set on the top of a hill, off Routes 6/202 (Mill Plain Road/Lake Ave. Ext.)  The campus is mostly wetlands and on rough terrain.  There wasn't a whole lot up there until the last decade, and now it's really starting to get developed with the school's boom.

The Fine Arts building is new part of a major expansion to occur in the next 10-15 years.  It will serve as one cornerstone of the proposed Westside quad: the fine arts building, the business and justice/law administration school, the arena, the campus center, and the athletic stadium.  With the Fine Arts Center built, the plan is to radically transform Westside: removing parking lots and building more residential facilities, make it look like an actual college campus instead of the quasi-annex it is now.

This building is a huge deal to the university and a good size of the student population.  Western has a large music school, plus a theatre and visual arts program which is growing.  Their current facilities are scattered across the Midtown campus buildings, all of which need upgrades and renovations.   This new building will give them something to brag about and become a better player in those fields.

[fivedayrental]

Lowerdeck, on Aug 9 2008, 12:37 PM, said:

It is on the Westside Campus, a few miles outside downtown.  The campus is set on the top of a hill, off Routes 6/202 (Mill Plain Road/Lake Ave. Ext.)  The campus is mostly wetlands and on rough terrain.  There wasn't a whole lot up there until the last decade, and now it's really starting to get developed with the school's boom.

The Fine Arts building is new part of a major expansion to occur in the next 10-15 years.  It will serve as one cornerstone of the proposed Westside quad: the fine arts building, the business and justice/law administration school, the arena, the campus center, and the athletic stadium.  With the Fine Arts Center built, the plan is to radically transform Westside: removing parking lots and building more residential facilities, make it look like an actual college campus instead of the quasi-annex it is now.

This building is a huge deal to the university and a good size of the student population.  Western has a large music school, plus a theatre and visual arts program which is growing.  Their current facilities are scattered across the Midtown campus buildings, all of which need upgrades and renovations.   This new building will give them something to brag about and become a better player in those fields.

The west side campus feels currently more like your typical suburban office park than a college setting. I passed by the mid town campus on Saturday and saw a lot of students moving back in. The mid town campus still needs some work because I saw fences in front on the main building you see on White Street. There a great pizza place however across the street from it thats been open for about a year now.

[Lowerdeck]

fivedayrental, on Sep 5 2008, 08:45 PM, said:

The west side campus feels currently more like your typical suburban office park than a college setting. I passed by the mid town campus on Saturday and saw a lot of students moving back in. The mid town campus still needs some work because I saw fences in front on the main building you see on White Street. There a great pizza place however across the street from it thats been open for about a year now.

Ah yes, I like that place too.  One of the best in the city.

Sort of across from that is Fairfield Hall, one of the residence halls.  That was under renovations all last year and closed until just recently... likely open for the start of the new semester (or should be... I haven't been down there since May, so I can't say for sure.)

I also agree on the westside being a drab near office park style complex.  It's way off Route 6, and most/none of the buildings do not look like your typical college buildings.  Then again all of that has been built within the last 25-30 years, split between an architectural low point and going the green route.

While I was on the topic of Midtown:

http://maps.google.c...e...mp;t=h&z=17

Heading east on White St., from 5th Ave to 8th: White Hall (classrooms, Ives Auditorium, current home of music and visual arts depts. among other things), Fairfield Hall (the one recently renovated, now co-ed), Old Main (some university offices, was the original Danbury Normal School now WestConn dating to 1903), then Litchfield Hall (freshman dorms)

The elementary school bordering Roberts Ave. and 7th/Roach Ave. will be torn down, the streets to be removed, another quad put into its place, another residence hall IIRC will be put up at the northwest corner of 8th and Roberts.  Higgins Hall, on the southwest corner of 7th (Roach) is likely to be renovated and hopefully be drastically different than it is now.