De Anza College students arrived on campus last Monday to find construction already underway on the college’s new, $8 million Performing Arts Center, which will provide a venue for musical and theatrical productions by students of the Creative Arts Division, serve as the new home of the college’s Euphrat Museum, and include expanded lecture halls for courses in art history.
“I’m very excited about the new building,” said Dr. Nancy Canter, Dean of Creative Arts. “We’ve needed it for a long time and I’ve been pulling for it ever since I arrived at De Anza 10 years ago.”
However, some members of De Anza’s faculty have voiced concerns regarding the new building’s modern style architecture, which will represent a “stark departure from the traditional, mission style design characteristic of the majority of buildings here at De Anza,” according to Charles Ramskov, instructor of psychology.
“I’m worried that we’re breaking away from a 40-year-old, award-winning design tradition and I’m wondering what we’re getting in return,” he said.
In recent years, De Anza has constructed a series of buildings, mostly with Measure E funding, incorporating modern-style architectural design. These include the Kirsch Center, the Science building and the Student and Community Services Building.
“I find this design interesting, because many years ago when I was on the planning committee for the Learning Center West, we were told by the Board of Trustees that all new building designs must include arches,” said Beth Grobman, Journalism department chair and La Voz adviser.
“I think Robert DeHart would be surprised at the inconsistency,” said business law instructor Mike Gough, referring to De Anza’s founding president.
DeHart, who served as president for 25 years, was noted for his desire to maintain De Anza’s original, mission style architecture.
The Performing Arts Center’s original design, conceived in 2003 by an architectural firm hired with DASB funds, did reflect a return to the Spanish mission style, including archways and a tiled roof, but the design was scrapped before exiting committee.
“There were a number of considerations that prompted the change in design,” said Jeanine Hawk, VP of Finance and College Services. “The original plans called for the Center to be built in a different, smaller location. When it was decided to include the Euphrat Museum in the building as well, we needed to change the site to one that afforded more space.”
The new site, located on De Anza’s northern perimeter, is more visible from off-campus.
“We asked ourselves, ‘What does De Anza present to you as you’re driving down Stevens Creek?'” said De Anza President Brian Murphy last Tuesday. “Currently, the answer is a parking lot, the back of a building and another parking lot. We wanted to build something that would be more inviting to the community, hence the large glass windows, the outward orientation and the more open style.”
Murphy also cited a desire for energy efficient architecture and the upcoming remodeling of the Multicultural Center as other factors that prompted the change. “I’ve received a number of positive comments on the new design from the community,” he said.
Still, some faculty members are worried that the design of the Performing Arts Center signifies the start of a trend that will result in De Anza becoming a patchwork of different architectural styles.
Design plans are scheduled to begin later this year on De Anza’s newest building project, a mediated learning center. According to President Murphy, “We intend to have a generalized college conversation regarding the design of the new building.”
