Construction

Eastman, Medical Center Plan for Renovations, New Facilities

HISTORIC SITE: Renovations to Eastman Theatre are part of a long-range project to enhance the historic theater and to provide new facilities for Eastman students and faculty.

A high-profile renovation to a University landmark and a proposal for a new building for a high-tech initiative at the Medical Center are promising to bring changes to campus.

The Eastman School announced plans this spring to renovate the interior of the historic Eastman Theatre as part of long-rage effort to improve the building’s acoustics, give the space a more intimate feel for performers, and to enhance the experience for concert-goers.

The project, funded through an $8 million commitment from the state, includes revamped seating inside the theater to create wider aisles, box seats, and other configurations that will change the theater’s capacity to 2,250 seats (844 fewer). The changes also will allow easier access throughout the theater for people with disabilities as well as create more convenient amenities, such as restrooms, an expanded lobby, gift shop, and caf.

The project also will add rehearsal rooms, practice rooms, and recording studios for Eastman School faculty and students.

Also this spring, the Medical Center announced plans for a major new expansion in research and education to establish the University as a national leader in clinical and translational science.

The plans involve construction of a new, four-story research building and the hiring of new clinical and research faculty to create an academic home for a new Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

The 150,000-square-foot building, which will be located on the Medical Center campus near the School of Nursing, is designed to enable the University to bring together scientific disciplines, support operations, education and training programs, and specific clinical research programs together under one roof.

TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE: A new building at the Medical Center would serve as the academic home for the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

The University also plans to create 30 to 50 new positions for clinical and translational researchers over the next several years, generating an additional $25 million in research funding per year. Over a six-year period the entire project—which includes facilities, faculty recruitment, and external research funding —will total more than $430 million.