A new path forward for the University of Arizona’s Art district
The University of Arizona’s $17 million dollar renovation of the Arts Alley district is close to completion after 3 years of construction around the area.
The first project in the area was the renovation of the Art building, totaling around $6 million. Construction began in July 2021. The contractor for the project was CORE construction. This renovation was the first major renovation completed in the School of Art since it was built in 1956. The First-Year Experience studios and the Lionel Rombach Gallery, where student art is featured, was moved to the front of the building.
The second major project in the Arts Alley renovation is the Marroney Theatre Renovations. This project cost around $8.5 million dollars. The renovations include upgraded safety systems, fire alarm, sprinklers, theatrical systems and electrical upgrades. The lobby space is being converted to become more open to the exterior plaza area.
“It was just an old slightly crusty theater. Not unuseful, just a little worse for wear,” said University of Arizona theater major Dylan Crites when asked about the Marroney theater before renovations began.
The third project in the Arts Alley Renovation series is the $3 million renovation between the Art Building & Museum, Tornabene Theatre, Marroney Theatre and the pathway to Olive Road. It is designed to improve pedestrian traffic in the area, make it more visually appealing and add more shaded spaces where students can study and socialize.
A current University of Arizona senior, Jeremy Romitti, recalled a memory of the area from before the construction began.
“My friends and I had chalk and wrote positive messages before winter break,” he said, “We drew a smile on the walls and it stayed there for the entire second semester because it never got rained on.”
Mike Herman, architect and project manager for the university, has been a part of the project since its development in the months after COVID-19.
“The area used to be pretty narrow and crooked. It will be much larger and with a more direct pathway connecting to Olive which will help with traffic,” he said.
The garage the connects to the underpass is most commonly used by patrons who attend events held in the Arts district. Mr. Herman hopes that these new renovations will enhance the patron experience.
Mr. Herman said the renovations will be completed by the end of the Fall 2023 semester for students to enjoy.