The bang of hammers and whir of table saws will be the only sounds spilling from the Music and Dramatic Arts Building until 2009. The renovations of the 70-year-old building began in 2005, and it is slated to re-open next spring. The $22 million project involves completely gutting the building, refurbishing Shaver Theatre and expanding an additional 20,000 square feet. The new building will also house the music and theater departments. Construction fell behind in the early days of renovations because of a considerable amount of asbestos abatement. Asbestos below ground level forced the removal of yards of dirt, which had to be replaced with new dirt and covered with concrete, said Director of Operations Michael Bellinger. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita delayed the project as construction workers were occupied with repairing the damage in New Orleans. At one point, brick masons had to be brought in from Chicago to work on the building. New air conditioning and heating units, electrical work and elevators will help to modernize the building, which was originally built in 1936 as part of then-Gov. Huey Long’s Works Progress Administration. The original construction took only 18 months and cost $600,000.       Sarah Lynn Baird, interim dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, said it was a major challenge to get the necessary state funding.  “The building has been on the list of proposed renovation sites for 25 years,” Baird said. Contractor P.J. Matherne is in charge of the construction. He was also responsible for the construction of the Fine Arts Building, Williams Hall renovation, and LSU women’s basketball locker facility. Proposed renovations include a refurbishment and modernization of Shaver Theatre. The theater’s seating will be made more comfortable and practical. The theater will be used for both concerts and plays and will seat 425 to 450 people. A large studio for dance and opera will also be added. It will have mirrors lining the walls and a special floor for dancing, Bellinger said. A new black box theater, used for smaller, student directed plays, will replace the old, dilapidated one. The theater is used for performances with basic technical arrangements and an intimate focus on the story, writing and performances, Bellinger said. In the basement, a student lounge, faculty space, and sound-proof percussion rooms will be added, Bellinger said. Students will be able to walk through a door in the basement ensemble room straight into the band hall. Since the construction began in 2005, Hatcher Hall has served as the home for those displaced by the construction. The basement and part of the first floor of Hatcher Hall were renovated in 2005 to make room for them. The Department of Communication Disorders, which formerly resided on the first floor of the Music and Dramatic Arts Building, will move to Hatcher Hall permanently. “Thousands of people utilize the facilities in this building, between music and theater students, other students, and people from the Baton Rouge community who come to watch the performances,” Bellinger said.
—-Contact Jack LeBlanc at [email protected]