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Center for Music and Art Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the new building be located?
Why was this location chosen?
How will this change the lawn east of Wells Hall?
How will this help the historic Wells House?
Why doesn't the college replace Wells Hall instead?
What was the process for the site selection?
How many art and music students enroll at WVC?
Where will the new building be located?
The new building will be located east of Wells Hall and south of Wells House on Fifth Street, the overwhelming first choice of the WVC Facilities Committee, the WVC Board of Trustees, the WVC Foundation Board, the college administration, and the architects. In December, on the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the Wenatchee City Council approved the plan.
Why was this location chosen?
A.Z. and Emogene Wells gave the house and nearly five acres of land to the Wenatchee School District to "use as a public Junior College," as stated by the deed signed on Jan. 4, 1950. Placing the new Music and Art Center east of Wells Hall will honor the intent of that generous gift. Students will use this part of the campus as the Wells family intended with classrooms for student learning and with facilities, including the grounds, for student engagement. The new building will activate and enhance the cultural and historical opportunities with Wells House.
This location has many positive benefits, including creating a space on campus for arts, music, and culture, including the historic Wells House. In addition, the new building will be close to the campus ceramics facilities and campus theater.
The architects designed the building with large, north-facing, glass walls for art studios that open to the lawn in front of Wells House, providing a world-class learning environment for our students. The lawn area between the new building and Wells House would provide a wonderful setting for practices and performances by music students. The landscape around the building will enhance the learning that takes place in, and around, the new building. Nowhere else on campus does such an environment exist for art and music instruction.
Architecturally, the building would link our past and the arts to the core of our campus with Wells House to the north and with the center of the campus to the west.
Four other possible sites were evaluated on the opposite end of campus. These sites are not suitable for the following reasons:
- The site between Eller-Fox and the gym is too small an area, and if used, would take away essential parking by extending into the parking lot in front of Smith Gymnasium. In addition, a gas line and an electrical "vault" would need to be relocated, both adding cost to the project, and using this site for the center would prevent future expansion of Eller-Fox for organic chemistry and other science offerings. (This site is rated second, but there is a considerable point spread between this site and the east campus site.)
- The soccer field site, which is removed from the campus center, would add extra infrastructure costs to the project for heating and cooling. In addition, building the center there would restrict future growth to athletic facilities.
- The tennis court site is also removed from the campus center and too close to athletic facilities. Locating the building on this site would also mean taking away parking at a time when the city says we need to add parking.
- The site behind Van Tassell Center is boxed in by athletic fields and is designated on the master plan as the site for future expansion of a student recreation center between the student center and gym.
In addition, locating the music and art center next to athletic facilities would result in noise and parking issues from competing athletic practices, classes, and events.
How will this change the lawn east of Wells Hall?
The intent it to keep as many trees and green spaces as possible, including those between the new building and Wells House and a number of large trees in front of the center. The architects have carefully designed the building to take advantage of the landscape and view of Wells House. Wells House will still be visible from some views from Fifth Street, and once Wells Hall is removed (constructed in the early 1950s, the building is one of the oldest community college buildings in the state still in use), the view will be further opened from Fifth Street. The replacement of Wells Hall is on the college's priority list when state funds are available.
An extensive lawn area will remain, with several large trees between Wells Hall and the proposed new facility. The use of the outdoor area for receptions, outdoor performances and weddings between the new center and Wells House will be enhanced as the new building will act as a sound buffer to the Fifth Street traffic noise.
How will this help the historic Wells House?
The location will bring more visibility and attention to the historic Wells House, which needs restoration help from the community. The location of the center near Wells House will also enhance future possible uses of the house by bringing more activity to that area of the campus.
Why doesn't the college replace Wells Hall instead?
Replacement of buildings on the campuses of state community and technical colleges is funded through the capital budget. Colleges access these funds via an open and competitive process. The current project to fund a music and art center on the WVC Wenatchee campus is not a "replacement project."
Wells Hall will be replaced in the future. Because the hall is one of the oldest buildings still in use at a community college in the state, the college has a good chance of eventually receiving replacement funds for the building. If Wells Hall is demolished before that happens, the college loses that chance.
When the state Legislature provides funding for building replacements, additional costs are included such as demolition, equipment and furniture, and the use of portable buildings for temporary classroom space. The current music and art project does not have this type of funding.
Site Selection Process
November 2009
Architects identified five potential locations the building could fit on campus. The five potential locations were shared with the WVC Facilities Committee and the WVC Foundation Board.
The five locations were
- Soccer field located on Wenatchee School District property.
- East side of Wells Hall.
- Grass area between gym and softball field
- West two tennis courts
- Grass area between Eller-Fox and parking lot.
December 2009
At the Board of Trustees work session, the project was reviewed, including the reconfirmation of program requirements and evaluation of site possibilities.
January 2010
Using a criteria sheet to evaluate the five potential locations, the WVC Facilities Committee unanimously recommended two sites on Jan. 24, with a considerable point spread between the two sites. The first choice was east of Wells Hall (south side in current lawn off Fifth Street, south of Wells House). The second site was between Eller-Fox and the gym. The recommendation was shared with the WVC Board of Trustees, who discussed the criteria used to make the decision and a summary of the findings.
The President’s Cabinet accepted the Facilities Committee first and second choices for the site and presented them to the architects for consideration.
February 2010
The two locations were brought to the WVC Foundation and the WVC Board of Trustees for discussion. Following the recommendations of the facilities and foundation committees, the trustees recommended the Wells lawn location
March 2010
The location selected for the new building was shared with the WVC Foundation Board on March 15.
College administration met March 16 with the Wells House Committee about the plan to locate the building south of Wells House.
June 2010
Location announced during the kick off/news conference on June 9 about the public fund-raising campaign for the new building. The footprint of the building print was staked and ribboned on the lawn.
June-August 2010
College administration met with the Wells House Committee on July 22. The architect’s drawings were shared. College administration and foundation members met with various individual community members interested in the project.
September and October 2010
At a WVC Board of Trustees meeting, community members expressed both opposition and support for the building location. Trustees are taking into consideration all comments at the board meeting, as well as those expressed in writing, before making the final decision. The trustees approved the location in October.
November and December 2010
After a public hearing in November, the City Planning Commission recommended the change to the college's master plan to locate the building on the proposed site. The Wenatchee City Council approved the change in December.
How many art and music students enroll at WVC?
Music and art enrollments have been increasing during the past several years, currently comprising about 10 percent of the FTEs.
View the architect's renderings:
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