RIVER CAMPUS BOARD SEEKS MUSEUM SITE

Members of the River Campus Board of Managers walked across the grounds of old St. Vincent's Seminary Friday, scouting out a possible site for the River Campus museum.

Board members again voiced support for building a museum on the northeast side of the seminary grounds near Morgan Oak and Spanish streets.

The original horseshoe-shaped design would be scrapped and replaced with a tiered, three-level structure that would take advantage of the sloping terrain.

Board members want the history and art museum to include a tourist center and parking to accommodate cars and buses.

Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management at Southeast Missouri State University, said the university needs to preserve as much green space as possible.

Board members and area architect Swayne Byrd said as many trees as possible will be preserved. An old beech tree on the grounds will be preserved, he said. Fox said some of the trees are in poor shape and need trimming.

Byrd suggested the lowest level of the museum could be built mostly underground with the roof of that level serving as an outdoor terrace that would have a view of the Mississippi River. The lower level could be used for storage and deliveries.

Byrd said a terrace could offer a good view to the north once the old Mississippi River bridge is torn down. That bridge is slated to be demolished once work is finished on the new bridge taking shape just south of the River Campus.

As Byrd sees it, the top level of the museum would begin just east of the handball court. At that level, trees on the grounds would block most of the view of the river. "You would have a great view of the trees," said Byrd.

Stanley Grand, the university's new museum director, toured the grounds with the Board of Managers.

"We have an unparalleled natural setting," said Grand. The university museum currently is housed in Memorial Hall on the main campus. Southeast wants to replace that museum with a university-city museum on the River Campus.

Grand suggested underground parking could be included in the new museum.

After the hourlong meeting, board member Jerry Ford said plans for the design of the museum aren't set in stone. At this point the board is only discussing possibilities, he said.

The museum is part of a $37 million project that calls for transforming the old seminary into a school for the visual and performing arts. It would include new construction and the renovation of the historic seminary building.

Board members said they want the museum to be set apart from the academic area of the River Campus to better accommodate tourists and the general public.