CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF RIVER CAMPUS, SCHOOL OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS: PROJECT WOULD PRESERVE SEMINARY BUILDING

Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus would preserve the historic St. Vincent's Seminary while adding a modern addition and a separate horseshoe-shaped museum.

Southeast plans to develop the former Catholic seminary into a school for the visual and performing arts.

The $35.6 million project would cover nearly 158,000 square feet of building space on the site overlooking the Mississippi River. It includes more than 50,000 square feet of space in the old seminary.

Part of the old seminary dates back to 1843.

The entrance to the property would be on Morgan Oak Street in the vicinity of the current seminary entrance.

"The site is organized as a network of spaces that maximizes the community access and use of the riverfront and celebrates the seminary as a feature component of the River Campus," said Brad Simmons, vice president of Sverdrup, the St. Louis architectural firm that is designing the campus.

The preliminary design calls for an addition to the south and west of the seminary building. The addition would be connected by a glass-roofed structure to the old seminary.

A large, glass atrium would serve as the main entrance to the expanded structure.

The addition would include space for the art, music and theatre departments.

Classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, a resource library, concessions and other services would be housed in the brick seminary building.

Theatre labs, art and dance studios, music rehearsal space and a recital hall would be housed in the addition, along with the 1,000-seat theater.

A two-story university museum would be built just to the north of the seminary building. The museum would cover 22,000 square feet.

The music department would have 20,267 square feet of space. Another 27,992 square feet would be allocated to the art department.

The plan would provide 19,164 square feet for the theatre department and 8,070 square feet for the dance department.

The 1,000-seat performance hall would cover 35,568 square feet and include a balcony level.

A tree-filled area on the east side of the 16-acre site would be preserved as a park-like setting that would be open to the public.