WATERVILLE, Maine — Officials with Colby College in Waterville have taken the first step in creating its new performing arts center.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the "Gordon Center for the Creative and Performing Arts" took place Saturday afternoon, September 18.
The $85 million, 74,000 square-foot center, will open in the fall of 2023 and is expected to be the largest academic building in the school's history.
A statement from Colby College calls the building "the most advanced and innovative arts facility in the region." The building will house Colby’s Departments of Theater and Dance of Music and the Cinema Studies Program.
The building is named in honor of Life Trustee Michael Gordon, an alumnus from the Class of 1966.
The statement says the facility will consist of "multipurpose performance areas and studios designed for teaching, performing, working, and creating, it will also house a dynamic performance hall as well as Colby’s first arts incubator to facilitate and nurture emerging art forms."
“The Gordon Center will be a visible and enduring symbol of Colby’s commitment to the arts,” said President David A. Greene. “It will elevate our academic programs, make creativity and performance a centerpiece of a Colby education, create a stunning new gateway to campus, and enrich the entire central Maine community through the vibrancy of its events."
"This simply wouldn’t be possible without Michael Gordon’s generosity. He knows first hand the power of the arts to bring communities together and to nurture and exhibit the human capacity for creative brilliance," said Greene.