Renovations to begin on aging music center

After a four-month delay, renovations on the James W. Black Music Center are set to begin within a few weeks.

Demolition of the back part of the building took place a month ago, and construction completion is slated for May 2008, said Brian Ohlinger, associate vice president of facilities management.

Renovations will include installing an elevator, improving the acoustics of the facility and landscaping the exterior.

Steven Ralph, a freshman vocal performance major, said the renovations are necessary.

“It was run-down and old, but we’re fixing it now, and it is going to be beautiful,” Ralph said.

Renovations were originally scheduled for completion by December 2007, but supplemental funding had to be requested and approved by the commonwealth. The escalating costs of construction added $1.7 million to the existing budget of $4.2 million, Ohlinger said.

The building, which VCU acquired in 1977 for use by the music department, originally served the community as Grove Avenue Baptist Church. The center housed classrooms in the basement and practice rooms for music students, but the original soundproofing did not accommodate a music school’s needs.

“There are real, significant acoustic issues that (we) had to deal with for it to be designed as a music center, and we have done that,” Ohliger said. “It’s expensive to do that, but it provides the music department with a first-class facility for its program in a building that is designed for a music program.”

The renovations are a step forward for the music department’s facilities, Ohlinger said.

“All the really good music programs have really good facilities,” said Phil Hernandez, a sophomore music performance major specializing in tuba. “We are a good music program. We just didn’t have the facilities.”

While improvements have been made over the years to the main sanctuary, current renovations will focus on the rear of the building.

“The problem with that back part of the church was that it was actually three separate additions added over the years,” said Ohlinger. “As a result, while it looked like a three-story building, there were actually nine different levels, and there was no way we could make it accessible and try to renovate it.”

Music students now meet in the Education Annex and Franklin Street Gym while the center is closed.