University of Mary Washington unveiled plans for new theater arts building

The University of Mary Washington President Troy Paino unveiled conceptual drawings for a new building for the school’s theater arts program.

The presentation plans to construct a two-story, 63,000-square-foot building on the school’s campus on the corner of Sunken Road and William Street. The new theater building will replace two current dormitory buildings, William and Russell halls, and have a path leading from the University’s bell tower on campus and another from the Sunken and William crossroad in front of the campus leading to the building’s second level.

Plans for the new building were developed by Virginia-based Commonwealth Architects and Minnesota-based HGA Architects and Engineers.

The new building is designed to have two small theaters on each level, one with 300 seats and the other with 150 seats. The theaters are intended to hold classes but can also be used for performances. The building will also have two studios for the school’s dance program, faculty offices, and storage space.

The University of Mary Washington will receive $117 million in state funding from the Virginia State budget for the project’s Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

In addition to the new theater arts building, some of the funding will also go to renovate three other dormitories, namely Melchers, DuPont, and Pollard. All three halls have been operating on the campus since they were built in the 1950s and need renovations.

“The halls are incompatible with the needs of the 21st century,” said Paino. “Those halls hold programs that are important to attract the next generation of students, programs that have been successful in career development and community outreach.”

Paino explained some of the reasons for the hall’s renovations, including improving accessibility for physically disabled students. The two halls that will be demolished to make way for the new theater arts building, William and Russell, were also in line for renovations but would have to wait 20 years before the funding was available.

The university president also explained that the University was unable to take on the debt capacity necessary to renovate the two buildings, which made the decision to replace them with the new theater building more tenable.

An event to celebrate the closing of William and Russell Halls is already in the planning stages in 2023. Mary Washington is currently exploring ways to honor the building and its namesakes, such as a cookout event, and physical and virtual tours of the halls before their demolition were also mentioned as possibilities.

The next step in the process for the building will be a presentation made to the school’s Board of Visitors Executive Committee and then another with the Town and Gown Committee later in the month. Members of the committee will include university administration, students, representatives of neighborhood associations, and city government officials.

The University is also planning a presentation for Fredericksburg’s Art and Architectural Review Board and is currently preparing an environmental impact report to share with city officials.