SEMO's River Campus taking shape

~ Lawyers and others involved in financial planning were treated to the first large-scale tour of the site.

Tours Thursday evening focused on the inside of Southeast Missouri State University's new River Campus. But beyond the plywood walkways and the concrete dust, invited guests couldn't help but notice the spectacular view of the Mississippi River and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge.

The view was framed by the many windows on the east side of the historic seminary building and from the massive wall of windows in the new building that will house the 950-seat performance hall.

No seats have been installed yet. But the theater's metal catwalks and two balconies are in place. So too is the sloping concrete floor that will house the bulk of the seating.

Right now the area that will house the stage is open to the sky. Pigeons fly through the structure.

But that will all change in the coming months. By November, the new theater building should be under roof with the exterior walls in place, university officials said.

Music professor Dr. Gary Miller, director of the River Campus arts school, is looking forward to the finished product.

"It will be beautiful inside," he said while taking a break from playing piano in a tent erected on the grounds for the Southeast Missouri University Foundation reception Thursday.

Lawyers, accountants, investment bankers and others involved in financial planning were treated to the first large-scale tour of the university's developing campus.

Some 60 to 80 people were scheduled to attend the reception and tour, hosted by the foundation's Planned Giving Advisory Council.

The 85-foot-tall performance hall has thick walls and doors designed to keep out the blare of barge and train horns. The performance hall is just one of the theatrical spaces in the new building. Also included are a 200-seat theater with flexible seating and a dance studio, as well as plenty of storage space for costumes, scenery and theatrical equipment.

The building also includes art faculty offices and art studios on the lower level.

Construction workers are turning a former chapel in the seminary building into a recital hall. The stained-glass windows will be preserved, officials said.

On the main level, the performance spaces connect to a spacious, glass-walled lobby. The university's new regional history and art museum will adjoin the north side of the lobby.

Steel beams have been erected, providing a footprint for the new museum. Construction of the museum started recently.

About two-thirds of the approximately $50 million River Campus project has been completed, said project manager Carl Cooper of BSI Constructors, which is supervising all the construction work.

About 85 percent of the work has been completed on the old seminary building, he said.

New walls have been erected inside the gutted building and new insulated windows installed. The old brick exterior has been preserved, bolstered by new walls on the inside to strengthen the structure to withstand a major earthquake.

Cooper said the seminary building should be finished by next spring. The new building should be completed by June, he said.

Design work is being finalized on the final piece of the River Campus project -- a convocation center that will house restrooms and a reception and dining area. It will adjoin the west side of the performance hall.

The River Campus will open to music, dance, theater and art classes in fall 2007. School officials expect to celebrate the grand opening as part of homecoming festivities in October 2007.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123