University of Arkansas Projects

[zman9810]

While it is exciting for the site to be a test store and WM will make a good partner I still wish it had been Collier's or some other local store that went in there.

[comreguy]

While it is exciting for the site to be a test store and WM will make a good partner I still wish it had been Collier's or some other local store that went in there.

I can assure you they had their opportunity. I think that they will wish they had made the deal and been there too. Colliers has been the preferred pharmacy of the U of A for a long time.

[wmr]

I drove onto campus today and was suprised to see the demolition and site prep taking place for the renovation of the former health center on Maple Hill.

[thewizard16]

I drove onto campus today and was suprised to see the demolition and site prep taking place for the renovation of the former health center on Maple Hill.

They want that done by spring '12, so they needed to get a move on it pretty soon. The new Center for Health Professions (expansion for the college of nursing) will be larger, much nicer inside, and more aesthetically pleasing on the outside than the current hut-like building. I think most of you have seen the rendering, but I'll post it again here:

There was also a huge bond issue ($141 million) approved by the Trustees on Friday to allow the UofA to finance another huge swath of construction projects including:

Athletic Department: New Football center and practice facility/parking deck (we talked about this project a while back- in order to get it started they're accepting 10 year bond financing that must be paid back with private donations)

Housing department: Renovations of Yocum, Humphreys, Pomfret, Futrall (already renovated two years ago, so I think that was a mistake unless they're refinancing), Wilson Sharp, Darby and Walton dormitories (the old athletic dorms that sat empty for years following mold issues).

Academic: Science and Engineering Auditorium replacement (known as the Hillside Auditorium project), renovation and expansion of Ozark Hall including a wing for the Honors College, renovation and expansion of Vol Walker Hall (we've been discussing this for some time now), funding for the renovations of parts of the Arkansas Union and the fitness center expansion there and relocating and expanding the union computer lab, funding for modernizations to the science building (part of their ongoing remodel of that building I assume, they've already redone a number of labs), funding for classroom renovations (again, part of an ongoing campaign with several new lecture halls in Kimpel now), and an expansion/addition to Brough Commons.

Articles at the links:

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=125443.54928.137588&page=1

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jan/29/ua-trustees-ok-141-million-plan-20110129/

[wmr]

Wow, thats a lot of projects. So they are going to renovate Humphreys and Yocum? I wonder if they will change the exteriors of either very much.

Sounds like the surge in enrollment has already changed their priorities.

[thewizard16]

Wow, thats a lot of projects. So they are going to renovate Humphreys and Yocum? I wonder if they will change the exteriors of either very much.

Sounds like the surge in enrollment has already changed their priorities.

Yes, it's a huge batch of projects especially when you consider things already underway or just completed (Peabody restoration, Davis Hall renovation and expansion, Science building lab renovations, Kimpel renovations, FIJI house renovation and addition, Nanoscale building construction, and the recent completion of the Garland Center). This is going to give their 2002-2009 construction boom a run for it's money, that's for sure.

Judging by the numbers being thrown around, I don't think there will be significant structural changes to Humphreys and Yocum like there will be to Pomfret, so don't expect building styling (on the outside, anyway) to change right now. I think we'll see something like what was done with Futrall done to Yocum and Humphreys (which I'd consider a heavy interior remodel on the dorm rooms with renovation of bathrooms and common areas), but I'll find out more and get back to you. Pomfret will be by far the most ambitious residential renovation project they've undertaken, and should it prove popular, I think you may see something like that in the long-term for Humphreys and Yocum if it proves cost-effective. The popularity of the Futrall renovation is likely what is fueling the projects for Humphreys and Yocum, as I speculated would happen about a year and a half ago.

The Walton/Darby/Sharp hall renovation is the real surprise here- that building has been thrown around indecisively for years while they decided how to deal with the mold issue and there have been discussions of leveling it and building new, renovating it to academic uses and moving all of Planetary Sciences and the Political Science center down there and renovating the planetary sciences building (which, I believe, is still the ultimate plan and might be part of the Walton hall renovation and addition, but it's not clear on that in the articles), or using it as overflow housing. What concerns me is the mold issue- I just don't see how they can have handled that effectively in the long run to keep it from coming back even if they did replace all the interior drywall/ceilings. Oh well, we'll see what comes of that.

The SCEN auditorium replacement, old health center renovation and expansion, lab renovations, and classroom renovations had been planned for years and have been progressing the last year and a half or so, but I'm sure the surge in enrollment is accelerating the work on that (and as a result, looking for ways to pay for it, like this bond issue).

[zman9810]

Yes, it's a huge batch of projects especially when you consider things already underway or just completed (Peabody restoration, Davis Hall renovation and expansion, Science building lab renovations, Kimpel renovations, FIJI house renovation and addition, Nanoscale building construction, and the recent completion of the Garland Center). This is going to give their 2002-2009 construction boom a run for it's money, that's for sure.

Judging by the numbers being thrown around, I don't think there will be significant structural changes to Humphreys and Yocum like there will be to Pomfret, so don't expect building styling (on the outside, anyway) to change right now. I think we'll see something like what was done with Futrall done to Yocum and Humphreys (which I'd consider a heavy interior remodel on the dorm rooms with renovation of bathrooms and common areas), but I'll find out more and get back to you. Pomfret will be by far the most ambitious residential renovation project they've undertaken, and should it prove popular, I think you may see something like that in the long-term for Humphreys and Yocum if it proves cost-effective. The popularity of the Futrall renovation is likely what is fueling the projects for Humphreys and Yocum, as I speculated would happen about a year and a half ago.

The Walton/Darby/Sharp hall renovation is the real surprise here- that building has been thrown around indecisively for years while they decided how to deal with the mold issue and there have been discussions of leveling it and building new, renovating it to academic uses and moving all of Planetary Sciences and the Political Science center down there and renovating the planetary sciences building (which, I believe, is still the ultimate plan and might be part of the Walton hall renovation and addition, but it's not clear on that in the articles), or using it as overflow housing. What concerns me is the mold issue- I just don't see how they can have handled that effectively in the long run to keep it from coming back even if they did replace all the interior drywall/ceilings. Oh well, we'll see what comes of that.

The SCEN auditorium replacement, old health center renovation and expansion, lab renovations, and classroom renovations had been planned for years and have been progressing the last year and a half or so, but I'm sure the surge in enrollment is accelerating the work on that (and as a result, looking for ways to pay for it, like this bond issue).

That is all good news for the campus, especially the Humphreys and Yocum renovations. If that extent of work is being done surely they aren't slated for demolition any time soon. I saw the old Walton athletic dorms being used for overnight stays last semester so they must not be in too bad of a shape although it is always hard to tell from the outside appearance. I know it is too prime a spot to be used for overflow housing alone.

So what does the final design for the Vol Walker expansion look like? I fear that we won't know until it has been built considering the negative publicity it has received.

[Mith242]

Yeah certainly a lot of activity going on at the U of A. But as mentioned before, with the big increase of students there's going to have to be more housing for them. They're expected to hit 23,000 enrollment next school year. This will probably be something further into the future, but I've been hearing rumors of doing something with Razorback Stadium. Something along the lines of enclosing the north end of the stadium.

[LRguy21]

That is all good news for the campus, especially the Humphreys and Yocum renovations. If that extent of work is being done surely they aren't slated for demolition any time soon. I saw the old Walton athletic dorms being used for overnight stays last semester so they must not be in too bad of a shape although it is always hard to tell from the outside appearance. I know it is too prime a spot to be used for overflow housing alone.

So what does the final design for the Vol Walker expansion look like? I fear that we won't know until it has been built considering the negative publicity it has received.

As a student in the ARCH school (Interior Design), I can tell you that the final building will look pretty as the last rendering showed. We have been showed that same rendering countless times by Blackwell & co. IMO, its ugly. But at least they are trying to preserve the current building with a full-blown gut and renovation. Interior wise it looks fantastic, its just the exterior that worries me. Because of the politics, i wont really get into the whole design being done by the head of architecture, but at least we know it will be a well built and green building. The best thing IMO about the addition will be the roof top terrace.

I was in a lecture last week given by Hicks Stone; he was the son of Edward Stone. He was pretty blunt about how the university has let the arts building fall into a state of disrepair. In all honesty, the building inst that fantastic, but the fact that it was built by Stone shouldn't be ignored. I would like to see the UofA do a renovation of that building ASAP. I think there are very few building on campus that were designed by an architect of that magnitude.

[zman9810]

As a student in the ARCH school (Interior Design), I can tell you that the final building will look pretty as the last rendering showed. We have been showed that same rendering countless times by Blackwell & co. IMO, its ugly. But at least they are trying to preserve the current building with a full-blown gut and renovation. Interior wise it looks fantastic, its just the exterior that worries me. Because of the politics, i wont really get into the whole design being done by the head of architecture, but at least we know it will be a well built and green building. The best thing IMO about the addition will be the roof top terrace.

I was in a lecture last week given by Hicks Stone; he was the son of Edward Stone. He was pretty blunt about how the university has let the arts building fall into a state of disrepair. In all honesty, the building inst that fantastic, but the fact that it was built by Stone shouldn't be ignored. I would like to see the UofA do a renovation of that building ASAP. I think there are very few building on campus that were designed by an architect of that magnitude.

Thanks for the info- I'm hoping that there will be some adjustments made although the last rendering looked much better than the original.

I wonder if the fine arts building renovations planning wasn't put on hold until the the WAC main location decision was made. I know that some will say that it is just a conspiracy theory but I wonder if there wasn't a private understanding that if the university supported the decision that it would get more access to the present facility along with the promise of the 600 seat venue. The present fine arts theaters can now be used for teaching fundamentals and rehearsals while the performances are held just down the street in first class facilities.

[thewizard16]

That is all good news for the campus, especially the Humphreys and Yocum renovations. If that extent of work is being done surely they aren't slated for demolition any time soon. I saw the old Walton athletic dorms being used for overnight stays last semester so they must not be in too bad of a shape although it is always hard to tell from the outside appearance. I know it is too prime a spot to be used for overflow housing alone.

So what does the final design for the Vol Walker expansion look like? I fear that we won't know until it has been built considering the negative publicity it has received.

Any renovation work to Humphreys and Yocum will likely add an additional 15-20 years worth of "life" to the building, so they should be around for a while. They've never been slated for demolition, despite the speculation of many, but it has been occasionally discussed in housing master plans. With ... certain... members of the Housing executive staff now gone, I'd imagine the master plan will change in the next few years. A decent renovation now should postpone that decision a decade at least though. A thorough renovation (ala Pomfret, which I'm very excited about if completed to plan) would extend it much further. Walton has actually been being used as regular housing since the beginning of last semester- there was a rapid and unexpected remodel project done to bring it up to livable condition once they figured out they didn't have room for all the new freshman being enrolled. As far as the location... you'd think that, but consider how long it's been sitting empty with no plans for redevelopment or future use.

Haven't heard of any changes to Vol Walker from the more recent glass wall looking design, but I'm keeping an eye out.

Yeah certainly a lot of activity going on at the U of A. But as mentioned before, with the big increase of students there's going to have to be more housing for them. They're expected to hit 23,000 enrollment next school year. This will probably be something further into the future, but I've been hearing rumors of doing something with Razorback Stadium. Something along the lines of enclosing the north end of the stadium.

The growth was expected for the most part (although this is a bit ahead of schedule) and aggressive recruitment strategies and a larger regional focus have certainly played a role. The rumors about the stadium are popular and pop up every few years... however, there is some interest in the north endzone project now that the profile of the program is as high as it has been in well over a decade. Don't expect to see any movement or interest in such a project until the new football center is completed and paid for, though.

As a student in the ARCH school (Interior Design), I can tell you that the final building will look pretty as the last rendering showed. We have been showed that same rendering countless times by Blackwell & co. IMO, its ugly. But at least they are trying to preserve the current building with a full-blown gut and renovation. Interior wise it looks fantastic, its just the exterior that worries me. Because of the politics, i wont really get into the whole design being done by the head of architecture, but at least we know it will be a well built and green building. The best thing IMO about the addition will be the roof top terrace.

I was in a lecture last week given by Hicks Stone; he was the son of Edward Stone. He was pretty blunt about how the university has let the arts building fall into a state of disrepair. In all honesty, the building inst that fantastic, but the fact that it was built by Stone shouldn't be ignored. I would like to see the UofA do a renovation of that building ASAP. I think there are very few building on campus that were designed by an architect of that magnitude.

Stone has every right to be frustrated with the University. The neglect of the housing department and the desire of the athletic department to build a new softball stadium and tailgating area led to the demolition of one of his father's few residential projects- the Carlon Terrace, and the Arts building hasn't seen any significant remodeling since its construction. The building itself is rather ugly by modern standards and not a very efficient building (or even necessarily suitable for the future of the art program), but it would be nice if they'd preserve it for the purpose of architectural significance (although that didn't save the Terrace). That building is slated for renovation and expansion (into the space where the parking lot currently is on the "back" side of the building) in the relatively foreseeable future though, so I'm hoping that will become a reality and they'll replace all the windows and do some work on the concrete to refresh the building in a style befitting the original design.

The rooftop terrace on the addition to Vol Walker is a great idea, and should fit in well with future plans for the library's renovation and expansion that includes rooftop "green" terraces.

Thanks for the info- I'm hoping that there will be some adjustments made although the last rendering looked much better than the original.

I wonder if the fine arts building renovations planning wasn't put on hold until the the WAC main location decision was made. I know that some will say that it is just a conspiracy theory but I wonder if there wasn't a private understanding that if the university supported the decision that it would get more access to the present facility along with the promise of the 600 seat venue. The present fine arts theaters can now be used for teaching fundamentals and rehearsals while the performances are held just down the street in first class facilities.

From what I know of the faculty (and administration), the WAC moving it's primary location is not beneficial to the program in any way. If an expansion had taken place in Fayetteville, they still would have gotten access to larger/improved facilities and kept immediate proximity to the premier theater in the region, which is a benefit to the program from recruiting and collaborative standpoints. At any rate, this doesn't affect renovation plans, or they wouldn't have made modifications and expanded their on-site theater two years ago. The building's renovation and expansion plans shouldn't be affected, they still need that for the program to continue to grow (and drama is a very small portion of the program, really). They really need a firm similar to the one working with the Peabody restoration to come in and do a renovation and restoration on the Fine Arts complex, but I'm not quite sure how the addition might look style wise.

[zman9810]

From what I know of the faculty (and administration), the WAC moving it's primary location is not beneficial to the program in any way. If an expansion had taken place in Fayetteville, they still would have gotten access to larger/improved facilities and kept immediate proximity to the premier theater in the region, which is a benefit to the program from recruiting and collaborative standpoints. At any rate, this doesn't affect renovation plans, or they wouldn't have made modifications and expanded their on-site theater two years ago. The building's renovation and expansion plans shouldn't be affected, they still need that for the program to continue to grow (and drama is a very small portion of the program, really). They really need a firm similar to the one working with the Peabody restoration to come in and do a renovation and restoration on the Fine Arts complex, but I'm not quite sure how the addition might look style wise.

Regardless of the WAC's assurances I think it is safe to say that over time a majority of the events drawing the most attendance will be moved to the new BenCo facility. They will not let the new facility play second stage to the Fayetteville venues. That would not only be bad image wise but poor business and we all know they aren't bad at business planning. There now will be many more opportunities to have university productions including musicals, plays, concerts, recitals,etc at the present facility. This would preclude the uinversity from having to build new performance facilities on campus. New facilites are needed- every time I attend a University Theater performance this time of year I make sure I wear thermal underwear and keep my coat on. The sound and lighting systems are poor. I agree that having the premier theater next door was in the university's best interests but in the bigger picture supporting the WAC's decision was more important.

[thewizard16]

Regardless of the WAC's assurances I think it is safe to say that over time a majority of the events drawing the most attendance will be moved to the new BenCo facility. They will not let the new facility play second stage to the Fayetteville venues. That would not only be bad image wise but poor business and we all know they aren't bad at business planning. There now will be many more opportunities to have university productions including musicals, plays, concerts, recitals,etc at the present facility. This would preclude the uinversity from having to build new performance facilities on campus. New facilites are needed- every time I attend a University Theater performance this time of year I make sure I wear thermal underwear and keep my coat on. The sound and lighting systems are poor. I agree that having the premier theater next door was in the university's best interests but in the bigger picture supporting the WAC's decision was more important.

Oh, absolutely. The University isn't going to voice dissent against the WAC or Walton family when both have been such important relationships for them in the past and likely will continue to be in the future.

[akahogfan]

wizard,

do you have any information about Mullins renovations? I've seen several renderings thrown around, but have never heard any solid information about it being done anytime soon.

[thewizard16]

wizard,

do you have any information about Mullins renovations? I've seen several renderings thrown around, but have never heard any solid information about it being done anytime soon.

Nothing all that solid, but mostly because they haven't secured funding to get the ball rolling on it yet (much like the total Arkansas Union renovations). I've seen the renderings and layouts of what they want to do and it should be very nice, but it's also going to be an expensive project since they will be expanding a bit, implementing ALS systems to manage the volumes, making drastic changes to the lobby, cutting away ground and stairs at the west entrance (facing the union) to make the expansion and new entrance, and adding the green roof terrace overlooking the Union Mall as part of the expansion if everything is built to current plan. They're going to have to get the administration to consider it a top priority and get a budget and funding lined out before it gets started, so I wouldn't expect anything for at least a couple years, but they might surprise me. There are factors that might help it get off the ground faster, and if it looks like next year will be another record enrollment year (all signs point to that), those players might push a bit harder for the library project to start soon. I personally don't feel they're expanding the library enough to meet future demand based off the current level of crowding/usage and their planning study, but we'll see what happens.

For those of you that hadn't seen a rendering yet, this is the proposed Western facade post-renovation:

What it currently looks like on the west side (sorry, from an angle was the only view I could find):

[Mith242]

Nothing all that solid, but mostly because they haven't secured funding to get the ball rolling on it yet (much like the total Arkansas Union renovations). I've seen the renderings and layouts of what they want to do and it should be very nice, but it's also going to be an expensive project since they will be expanding a bit, implementing ALS systems to manage the volumes, making drastic changes to the lobby, cutting away ground and stairs at the west entrance (facing the union) to make the expansion and new entrance, and adding the green roof terrace overlooking the Union Mall as part of the expansion if everything is built to current plan. They're going to have to get the administration to consider it a top priority and get a budget and funding lined out before it gets started, so I wouldn't expect anything for at least a couple years, but they might surprise me. There are factors that might help it get off the ground faster, and if it looks like next year will be another record enrollment year (all signs point to that), those players might push a bit harder for the library project to start soon. I personally don't feel they're expanding the library enough to meet future demand based off the current level of crowding/usage and their planning study, but we'll see what happens.

Thanks for the info and rendering. To be honest I guess I hadn't realized so many changes had been planned. That area will certainly look a lot different than it does right now. I'm wondering if the west side will tie in well with the east side. Although they obviously are rather different currently. Sometimes I just wish they had a better overall plan and would settle for a particular style. Especially when you're considering one specific building.

[thewizard16]

Thanks for the info and rendering. To be honest I guess I hadn't realized so many changes had been planned. That area will certainly look a lot different than it does right now. I'm wondering if the west side will tie in well with the east side. Although they obviously are rather different currently. Sometimes I just wish they had a better overall plan and would settle for a particular style. Especially when you're considering one specific building.

Yeah, the work on the library is planned to be rather extensive. The style dichotomy that arose with the addition to the east side is unfortunate, and the new colonnade entrance on the west side addition is supposed to help tie that in together a bit. And although you can't tell from that rendering, they plan to use the limestone and slate materials and more prominent use of glass on the new exterior facades to better tie it in with the neighboring buildings (per the campus master plan). I don't believe the sides will be as stark and bland as they appear in that rendering, I believe that one is mostly to give an idea of what the new west colonnade and redo of the union mall would look like. Each new project from here on (with the possible exception of the Vol Walker addition... we'll see) should use materials and styling that help tie into the architectural style of that "district" of campus, now that they've made a commitment to go back to the master plan. I'd love to see the Union renovation and expansion get underway in the next few years as I think that would do wonders for that section of campus visually, but that's probably down the road a bit. For the time being, they have been doing several little projects inside (redoing most of the Union "living room", adding the fitness center expansion, moving the computer lab to a bigger space, video theater remodeling, etc.) that should make it more pleasant.

[akahogfan]

Thanks for the info. Having seen the plans for the reno, I was hoping that I would get to see some of it implemented while I'd still be using it, but it sounds like I'll be long gone by then.

[zman9810]

Oh yeah- Mullins is going to look much better. I didn't realize they were going to redo the mall to that extent. The mall sure has shrank over the years- between the Union and Law additions and now Mullins it's half the size it used to be.

[thewizard16]

Oh yeah- Mullins is going to look much better. I didn't realize they were going to redo the mall to that extent. The mall sure has shrank over the years- between the Union and Law additions and now Mullins it's half the size it used to be.

Yeah, I think they realized it's become too small to be very useful anymore. Cutting away that huge stairway/ramp/etc. leading up to Mullins and eliminating the central swath of concrete should open up quite a bit of room. I'm not quite sure from the renderings what they're doing on the side of the mall by the art building, if anything... just seems different in the renderings.

[Mith242]

In university news, today the U of A announced that the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has added the U of A to their top classification of universities. The U of A is now one of 108 schools out of 4,633 that have this classification.

[wmr]

A couple of new small renderings posted on the planning page at uark.edu:

Pi Phi Gate:

Hillside Auditorium (looks like its going to be underground):

[thewizard16]

A couple of new small renderings posted on the planning page at uark.edu:

Pi Phi Gate:

Hillside Auditorium (looks like its going to be underground):

Thanks for posting these. I actually hadn't seen the rendering for the hillside project, but this is interesting. I like the idea of putting it underground and building the hill back up around it, but I'm not entirely sure what they're showing us in part of the rendering.

Here's the site as it currently exists:

As you can see, the old SEAU will be demolished along with the old geology building below it, and they'll build the new auditorium to have a large entrance off of Dickson street and what appears to be a side tunnel entrance where a new walkway will go up the hill between the greek theater and the new auditorium connecting the Dickson Street sidewalks and the Campus Dr. sidewalks (students coming out of JB Hunt or Mechanical Engineering are bound to appreciate that walkway). What is difficult to tell from this small rendering is what is happening at the top of the hill. If the ground is terraced up like the image appears to show, will there be an entrance at the top of the hill at all, and if so, how exactly is that going to be built? It looks like the auditorium itself will be built into the hill lower than the current auditorium, which would make it significantly larger if they went up to the existing entrance level of SEAU, but what appears to be a terrace halfway up the hill to build up the ground to sidewalk level implies that might not be what they're planning to do. I'm also not sure what the thing I've circled in blue is supposed to be. If it's connected to the auditorium, it's much too large to just be an entrance, but if they're building classroom space into that (and possibly the terraced level of the hill above the auditorium?), why is it only one story? I've included the rendering below with the new walkpath in red, entrances in green, and the thing I'm confused about in blue:

I had heard this project discussed at one point to potentially be an auditorium in the bottom levels of a new academic building (they are going to need more standard classroom space really soon), but this rendering makes it seem like they've chosen not to do that. It makes me wonder if it's being built so they can build up off of it if they want to in the future (why the U of A doesn't make more of their buildings taller or at least build them so they can have additional stories added on to them is a question I've asked repeatedly, since they simply don't have enough land to keep building new 4-5 story buildings. JB Hunt, Walker, and Nanoscale should have all really been 2-3 stories taller if they were planning ahead for the growth in enrollment, and you all know how I feel about how space inefficient the Maple Hill complex is... those buildings should have been at least 6 stories a piece instead of 4.), or if they're just trying to add green space back to that section of campus while getting the same amount of use out of the land.

[zman9810]

That rendering is very confusing- if that is the top of the auditorium then it seems to be smaller than the present building. That is obviously a plaza on the west side because there are people on it. Maybe the greenery on the west side of the plaza and the plaza itself are actually on top of the rest of the auditorium.

I hate to see the Geology Building go but it is only for sentimental reasons. Dr. Ronald Konig was my first geology advisor and his office was in that building. I worked there, also. The building is too small to be of much use and this project will make better use of that space, at least I hope it does.

[thewizard16]

That rendering is very confusing- if that is the top of the auditorium then it seems to be smaller than the present building. That is obviously a plaza on the west side because there are people on it. Maybe the greenery on the west side of the plaza and the plaza itself are actually on top of the rest of the auditorium.

I hate to see the Geology Building go but it is only for sentimental reasons. Dr. Ronald Konig was my first geology advisor and his office was in that building. I worked there, also. The building is too small to be of much use and this project will make better use of that space, at least I hope it does.

Yeah, it's the stuff on top I'm not quite sure what is. If I was back in Fayetteville I'd go find out... The auditorium itself is certainly what's built into the hill with the large entrance at the street level and it appears another one in the tunnel (I will admit to liking the tunnel idea), I just don't know that's all supposed to connect together. I'm sure more information will come out before construction starts, and I'll keep an ear to the ground.