CONWAY, Ark. (December
12, 2017) – Hendrix College will begin construction on the new Miller Creative
Quad in 2018.
The Miller
Creative Quad is part of the College’s $110 million Be Hendrix campaign. It is named for Hendrix alumna and Board of
Trustees member Carolyn L. Miller ’74 and her husband David B. Miller of
Dallas, Texas, who provided the initial funding for the project through the
David B. Miller Family Foundation.
The new $24
million ($16 million construction, $8 million endowment) mixed-use project will
include two buildings that will combine first-class facilities for the creative
arts with new student living space on the current site of Hulen Hall.
“Thanks to the
generosity of the Miller family, along with many Hendrix alumni, corporations,
foundations, and friends, we are thrilled to begin construction on the Miller
Creative Quad,” said Hendrix President Bill Tsutsui. “Not only will this
exciting project provide new facilities for our students and faculty, it will
bring new energy to the heart of campus for the entire community to enjoy and
experience.”
The Creative Quad
will include two new residence halls on the second and third floors of the two
buildings. The new residence halls will feature single and double rooms and
study space for 100 students.
“When I ask
alumni about their fondest memories at Hendrix, they immediately tell me it was
their professors and the friendships and experiences they had with classmates
living on campus,” said Tsutsui. “The Creative Quad’s new student living space
will enable us to begin the long-term revitalization and update of our six
heritage residence halls, which have been home to generations of students at
Hendrix.”
The south
building of the Creative Quad will feature music practice rooms, music faculty
offices, and a digital music lab.
There will also
be a 990-square-foot auditorium with an industry-standard film screening room.
The auditorium will serve the College’s growing film studies program, as well
as movie events organized by student clubs and organizations, and will accommodate
guest speakers for special events.
A focal point of
the Miller Creative Quad will be the new Windgate Museum of Art in the north
building. In 2016, Hendrix received a $10 million grant from the Windgate
Charitable Foundation of Siloam Springs to support the museum’s construction
and endowment. The Windgate Foundation has previously supported arts and
religious life programming, as well as scholarship opportunities, at Hendrix.
“The new art
museum will ensure that the arts are a fundamental part of every Hendrix
student’s experience. It will be a tremendous resource for classes, hands-on
learning projects, internships, interdisciplinary collaboration, and visiting
artists throughout the region,” said Tsutsui. “It will also be an incredible
asset for the community, further supporting the ‘quality of life’ and amenities
we enjoy in Conway and the Natural State.”
The Miller Creative
Quad was designed by Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock.
“We wanted the
Creative Quad to be consistent with the historic architecture of our campus,
while also introducing dramatic new elements, including glass exterior walls
and a rooftop deck, that showcase the creative spirit of the visual and
performing arts,” Tsutsui said. “The result will be a dynamic, lively new space
at the center of campus that honors our heritage as a residential college and
blends student accommodation with academic and public space in novel ways.”
Watch the video.
Nabholz
Corporation of Conway will be the general contractor for the project. Construction
of the Miller Creative Quad will begin after Commencement 2018 in May. The
Creative Quad’s new residence halls are scheduled to open in fall 2019.
Hulen Hall will
be removed during the College’s winter break, and site preparation will
continue through the spring. Hulen Hall, which opened in 1950, was named for
campus dietician Georgia Mitchell Hulen. It included the Hendrix bookstore, cafeteria,
post office, student center, and student organization offices, serving the Hendrix
community until the 2010 opening of the Student Life and Technology Center
(SLTC).
Earlier this
fall, Hendrix celebrated the opening of the Mary Ann and David
Dawkins Welcome Center, the
new home of the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid.
About Hendrix College
A private liberal
arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns
recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is
featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About
Colleges.
Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix
as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876,
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To
learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu.